The Young And The Hopeless
by Trishala Vardhan
Summary: *sequel to The Descent* Dean has a year to live. Odette is conflicted, and Castiel is beginning to feel, the one thing angels are forbidden to do. Sam is desperate, ensnared in the mysterious blonde girl's trap. Envy's warning has not gone unheeded. Odette's future is uncertain.
1. Seven Is Unlucky

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Hello again, my dear readers, this is the sequel to 'The Descent'.**

**If you haven't read it, or 'The Black Swan', as a matter of fact, this won't make any sense.**

**Reviews, please!**

CHAPTER ONE- SEVEN IS UNLUCKY

Sam and I smiled fondly at Dean as we saw him shoot us a thumbs-up through the window, grinning at the blonde girl inside.

Sam's phone rang, and he picked it up warily.

"Hello?"

Bobby's voice was scratchy but recognizable.

"Hey, Sam."

Sam settled in the Impala's seat, passing me the tattered book, and I resumed reading.

"Hey, Bobby."

"What're you doing?"

Sam sighed.

"Oh, same old, same old."

Bobby grunted.

"You buried in that book again?"

We paused.

"Sam, you want to break Dean free of that demon deal, you ain't gonna find the answer in no book."

"Then where, Bobby?" Sam asked tiredly.

Bobby huffed gustily, and I patted Sam's arm.

"Kid, I wish I knew. So, where's your brother?"

Sam didn't miss a beat.

"Polling the electorate."

He winked at me as I laughed, lips twitching at Bobby's mystified "What?"

"Never mind," Sam shrugged.

Bobby said something rapidly, too fast for me to catch.

Sam nodded, looking over at me.

"Yeah, she's fine. Uh, Cas should be here in a couple of hours, I think."

I pricked up my ears at the mention.

"Well, you better pack it up, I think I finally found something."

Sam hung up, nudging me with his elbow.

"Go get Dean."

"'Kay," I walked into the hotel, walking down the corridors.

I knocked on the bedroom door, opening it slowly.

"Dean?"

I entered the room.

"Dean, you—you conscious? Bobby called, and he thinks that maybe we—"

I stared in horror as I registered the scene around me.

The blonde girl giggled.

"Oh, god."

I fled.

~Supernatural~

Sam roared with laughter as I huddled in the backseat, and Cas stared at me with bemused discomfort.

"You…. s….saw Dean w-with…." Sam spluttered, unable to finish his sentence.

"Stop laughing, Sammy," I muttered, cheeks flaming. "It's not funny."

This only made him laugh harder.

Dean himself emerged, grinning widely.

"What's the matter, kid? You're doing the tomato impression again."

The three of us stared at him in wordless shock.

"I believe," Cas said, choosing his words carefully.

"Odette is discomfited by stumbling upon you in the act of co-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Cas," My hands flew out.

"I think everybody gets the picture," I managed to choke out.

"Oh, well done, you," Sam rolled his eyes at Dean.

"You destroyed the innocence of a fifteen year old girl."

Dean shook his head.

"It was a beautiful, natural act, Bambi."

"It's a part of you I never wanted to see, Dean," I mumbled.

"Whatever," Dean slapped Sam on the thigh.

"Hey, I appreciate you giving me a little quality time with the Doublemint Twins."

"No problem," Sam said quietly.

"Really?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I got to say, I was expecting a weary sigh or something."

"Not at all."

I looked up sharply at Sam's answer.

"You deserve to have a little fun."

"Well, I'm in violent agreement with you there," Dean chuckled.

"What's Bobby got?"

"Not much," Sam tapped his foot restlessly.

"Crop failure and a cicada swarm outside of Lincoln, Nebraska. Could be demonic omens."

Dean craned his head around to look at Castiel.

"Cas?"

I hid my smile; Dean had thawed out considerably towards him.

"It's no ordinary failure," Cas answered.

"Something is very wrong."

~Supernatural~

Cas opened the door to the farmhouse with a flick of his wrist, and Dean entered first.

Sam drew his gun.

We covered our noses in disgust.

"That's awful," My voice came out muffled.

"That so can't be a good sign," Dean seconded.

We crept through the house, and stopped outside the second room.

We could hear panicked screams coming from the room.

Dean kicked open the next door, and the sound turned out to be coming from a television set.

Cas gazed intently at the family of three seated on the sofa.

By the looks of them, they'd been dead several days.

I recoiled at the increased stench of decay, stepping behind Cas.

Bobby entered through the other side of the room, flinching back almost instantly.

"Bobby, what the hell happened here?" Sam spun around.

"I don't know."

"Check for sulfur," Castiel said calmly.

"Yeah," Dean nodded.

~Supernatural~

I stayed inconspicuously in the corner with Cas, watching the two hunters we'd run into in the farmhouse cautiously.

Isaac and Tamara seemed all right.

They reminded me a little of Mom and Dad, back before they'd….

I winced, cutting off the thought.

Cas' eyes were heavy on mine, and I smiled unconvincingly, listening to Dean coaxing the coroner's tech for information on the dead family.

He finished up on the phone.

"Get this-" He strode into the room. "That whole family, cause of death? Dehydration and starvation. There's no signs of restraint, no violence, no struggle. They just sat down and never got up."

"But there was a fully stocked kitchen just yards away," I said in disbelief.

"What is this, a demon attack?" Sam looked incredulous.

"Dunno," Bobby shrugged.

"Well, what now?" Dean looked expectantly at us. "What should we do?"

Cas moved away.

"I'll see what I can find."

He disappeared.

Isaac watched him go with narrowed eyes.

"Uh, _we're_ not gonna do anything."

"What do you mean?" Sam stood up.

"No offense," Isaac worked his jaw.

"But we're not teaming with the damn fools who let the Devil's Gate get opened in the first place."

"No offense?" Dean said derisively.

"Isaac," Tamara admonished. "Like you've never made a mistake."

"Oh, yeah, yeah," Isaac nodded. "Locked my keys in the car, turned my laundry pink. Never brought on the end of the world."

"All right," Dean's voice was dangerously quiet. "That's enough."

But Isaac wasn't finished.

"And what's with that freak you carry around with you, huh? I mean, you honestly trust something that's not even human?"

"Hey," I finally snapped. "Leave Cas out of this! He's always been there for us!"

Surprisingly, Dean and Sam backed me up.

"Don't call him a freak," Dean gritted his teeth.

"He's saved our lives more times than we can count."

"We'd trust him with our lives," Sam echoed, slightly less antagonistically than Dean.

Isaac scoffed.

"There are a couple hundred more demons out there now, thanks to you. You brought war down on us, on all of us."

He scowled at me, and Dean shifted me behind him, glaring at Isaac fixedly.

I locked my arms around Dean's torso, pulling him away.

Tamara did the same for Isaac.

"Okay. That's quite enough testosterone for now."

They left the room.

~Supernatural~

Cas appeared in the room almost soundlessly, making me jump.

"Did you find anything?"

His eyes remained blank.

"Yes."

I poked my head out of the room.

"Dean! Sam! Bobby! Cas says he found something!"

Three pairs of feet thudded down the stairs, and they stared at Cas expectantly.

Castiel looked grim.

"There are seven demons in town. The seven deadly sins. Pride, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Lust."

We blinked at him.

Bobby was the first to speak.

"The seven deadly sins…..are demons?"

Castiel nodded.

"I know where they are hiding in town."

Dean picked up his knife.

"Take us to them."

~Supernatural~

"Damn it," Bobby cursed as Tamara and Isaac entered the bar, glancing around suspiciously.

"Now what do we do?" Dean fumed.

Castiel looked at us impassively.

"They are in danger. We-"

His voice was cut off as Tamara screamed.


	2. Learn Your Lessons Well

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**The name of this chapter is borrowed from Godspell.**

CHAPTER TWO- LEARN YOUR LESSONS WELL

Castiel stared at the door.

It fell open with a crash.

Dean, Sam and Bobby flung holy water at the demons, and I grabbed a struggling Tamara, still screaming frantically for her husband.

I didn't need to look at Isaac to know he was dead.

"Come on," I pulled her away with difficulty.

"We got to go! He's dead! Get in the car!"

I swung my head around.

Cas was keeping the demons at bay, but it wouldn't last long.

Dean was still immersed in the fight.

"Dean!" My voice was panicked. "Come on!"

Dean ignored me, wrestling with a redheaded man, opening the trunk as he ran out of holy water.

He ignored even Sam's shouts, overpowering the demon and stuffing him in the trunk, inscribed with a devil's trap.

The man screamed.

~Supernatural~

Tamara was furious.

"I say we're going back—now!"

"Hold on a second," Sam coaxed.

"I left my husband bloody on the floor!" Tamara shouted.

"Okay, I understand that," Sam said calmly. "But we can't go back."

"Fine," She gritted her teeth.

"Then you stay. But I'm heading back to that bar."

"I'll go with her," Dean offered unexpectedly.

"It's suicide, Dean!" Sam exploded.

"So what?" Dean retorted. "I'm dead already!"

That did it.

I shook him by the lapels of his jacket violently.

"Shut up, Dean!" I shook him harder. "You're not going!"

Castiel looked at us impassively.

"You don't know how to kill them, and they're too powerful to simply exorcise."

"I don't care!" Tamara raged.

Bobby had reached his limit.

"We already tried it your way, and look what happened! These demons haven't been topside in half a millennium!"

Dean broke up the budding fight.

"I think it's time we have a little chat with Envy."

~Supernatural~

Envy chuckled.

"So you know who I am, huh?"

"We do," Bobby said flatly. "We're not impressed."

"Why are you here?" Sam demanded. "What are you after?"

"He asked you a question," Dean's hands clenched into fists.

"What do you want?"

Envy laughed condescendingly, and Dean splashed him with a flask of holy water.

He hissed.

"We already have what we want."

"What's that?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"We're out. We're free. Thanks to you, my kind are everywhere. I am legion, for we are many. So me, I'm just celebrating. Having a little fun."

"Fun?"

"Yeah," Envy grinned. "Fun. See, some people crochet. Others golf. Me? I like to see people's insides… on their outside."

Tamara's lips pulled back in a snarl.

"I'm gonna put you down like a dog."

"Please," He sniggered.

"You really think you're better than me."

Envy laughed.

"Which one of you can cast the first stone, huh? What about you, Dean? You're practically a walking billboard of gluttony and lust. And Tamara? All that wrath."

Envy grabbed my arm with hooked fingers, leaving angry red scratches as Cas pulled me away.

He smiled widely.

"And sweet little Odette. Everyone thinks you're so perfect, but honey, yours is the root of all sin."

Four pairs of eyes flashed to my face.

Envy threw back his head, shaking with laughter.

"Pride, sweetheart. You don't like being dependent on anyone. You can't trust anyone because you think you're strong enough to go it alone. You don't think you need anybody. Pride's going to have fun with you, I'm sure."

I froze.

Envy's eyes flicked to Cas.

"Well, well, well, little angel. You really _have_ been naughty, haven't you? You know what this means, Castiel. You're doomed."

Something like unease flickered in Cas' eyes, but it was gone so fast I was almost sure I imagined it.

Envy turned back to me.

"You're going to die, Odette. This very year. And where you're going?"

Envy snickered.

"Well, I don't _envy,_" His face twisted in pleasure. "You, darling."

I shuddered involuntarily, and Dean and Sam instantly placed themselves in front of me.

"Somebody get rid of this clown," Dean growled.

"My pleasure," Tamara tugged the book out of Bobby's hands.

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus…"

Dean pulled me out of the room as Envy started screaming.

~Supernatural~

"They're going to look for him," Castiel stated expressionlessly.

"They'll hunt us down."

"You guys," Dean straddled a chair.

"Why don't you take Tamara and head for the hills? I'll stay back, slow them down, buy you a little time."

"You're insane, Dean!" Sam scowled. "Just forget about it, okay?"

"Sam's right," Bobby nodded.

"There's six of them, guys," Dean sighed.

"We're outmanned, we're outgunned. We'll be dead by dawn."

"You seem to have forgotten that I'm still here," Castiel said almost testily.

I smiled, but it faded away fast.

I locked gazes with Dean.

"Look, if we're gonna die, we're gonna die together, okay?"

Dean measured my expression.

"Then let's not make it easy for them."

Envy gave a final scream from the other room, and the house shook, and a gust of wind blew out the candles.

Tamara slammed the book shut, setting it down on the table.

"Demon's out of the guy."

"And the guy?" Sam cocked an eyebrow.

"He didn't make it," Tamara's answer was cold.

Dean sat on the floor with a row of candles behind him, loading a shotgun.

He tossed me my own gun, and I caught it clumsily.

Sam methodically filled flasks with holy water, passing them over to Cas.

We watched each other in silence until the lights began to flicker.

My throat went dry.

An old radio sparked to life, playing a scratchy tune.

Dean cocked the shotgun, getting to his feet.

"Here we go."

Outside, Isaac's voice called out for Tamara.

~Supernatural~

I could hear Isaac, and I looked at Castiel for confirmation.

"It's not him," He answered my unspoken question.

"They're possessing his corpse."

I could hear Tamara sobbing, too, and Bobby's low rumble of warning.

Sam stood up, squeezing my hand tightly, and exchanged a long look with Dean.

He left the room, and Dean patted my shoulder, following suit.

Suddenly, I heard Tamara yell, and the doors banged open.

The salt line was breached.

I backed into a corner, waiting.

"Hey, Cas?"

I stared at him, not knowing what to say.

"I just wanted to thank you…. f…for everything, I guess," I stammered.

"And I'm sorry," I gulped. "If you get killed because of us….."

Cas shifted to look at me.

"I'm not dying, Odette."

The sounds of fighting could be heard, and I inched towards the doorway.

And then I heard a scream.

A scream I recognized.

"ODETTE!" My little brother shouted. "HELP ME!"

My reaction was on pure instinct.

I was out the door in a flash, not caring that it would endanger the whole plan.

I would have reached the gate in a second, if not for Cas pulling me back.

"Let me go!" I kicked against his hold.

"Listen to me!" Cas refused to let go.

"That is not your brother. The demons are using his voice to get to you."

"Yeah?" I didn't even notice the tears running down my face.

"Well, it's working."

Sam screamed again, and I struggled futilely.

And then his voice cut off with a gurgle.

"Are you going to let me die again, Odette? I thought you'd want your family back! I thought you said you'd always be there!"

I hung my head, tasting the salt of my tears on my lips.

"I tried, Sammy. I tried," I whispered.

Cas' hands formed iron fetters around my wrists.

"Look at me, Odette," He pulled my chin up.

"Your brother is at peace. He's not here, and he doesn't blame you. It's not real."

I trembled, looking searchingly at Cas.

"Promise?"

His eyes softened slightly.

"Promise."

And then Sam was there, the real Sam, and he wrapped his arms around me as I shuddered, while my brother's agonized howls rent the air.

"Ssh," Sam held me tighter. "It's not real. He's not real."

I sobbed harder.

It didn't make it any less.

Sam spoke over my head to Cas.

"I took care of Pride and a couple others. There was this girl….. she had a knife that killed a demon. She saved my life."

"What?" Cas' tone sharpened.

"Yeah, I dunno, either."

Dean burst into the room, gun in hand, panting heavily.

"I've finished off most of them."

He glanced at my face, reaching down to pat my cheek.

"Hang in there, Bambi. I'll kill the son of a bitch, I swear."

Sam squeezed my shoulder for a second before letting go.

"Cas and I'll help Bobby with the last of 'em. Stay with her."

Cas gave me a warning look before leaving.

_Don't try anything stupid,_ He seemed to say.

I curled onto the floor, hiding my head in my arms.

Dean sat down beside me.

Finally, I didn't know how long it took, the screaming ended.

I shook, curling into myself tighter.

"Hey, kid?"

I looked up as Dean shifted closer to me.

He coughed awkwardly.

"You know you still have a family, right? I mean, we're always going to-"

The rest of his sentence was cut off as I hugged him as tightly as I could.

"Uh," He patted my back uncomfortably. "Right. Okay."

I didn't let go, and Dean was stiff.

Eventually, he gave up, and hugged me gently.

"It's okay, Bambi. We're gonna get through this."


	3. Problem Child

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Chapter name borrowed from AC/DC.**

CHAPTER THREE- PROBLEM CHILD

"Come on, Sam!" Dean attempted to smile ingratiatingly, and failed utterly.

"Have a heart, huh? It's my dying wish."

Sam frowned at him.

"So let me get this straight. You want to drive all the way to Cicero just to meet Lisa Braeden?"

"Yup," Dean nodded shamelessly, smirking at Cas' befuddled expression.

"Come on," Dean urged. "Smile, Sam! God knows I'm gonna be smiling after twenty four hours with Gumby Girl."

He chuckled to himself, ignoring Cas' miffed expression.

"Gumby Girl."

Dean frowned.

"Does that make me Pokey?"

~Supernatural~

Dean pulled up outside the hotel hurriedly, stopping to let us out.

"Don't wait up for me, Bambi, Sam."

"But-"

Sam interrupted me.

"Wait, Dean! Dean, you…. Dean!"

Dean drove off, and Sam growled incoherently, stomping inside the hotel.

I hid my laughter as I followed him inside.

"Is he always like this?" Cas asked once we'd checked into our rooms.

"Pretty much," Sam groused.

Cas blinked.

"I see."

"Anyway," Sam snatched up his wallet.

"I'm gonna get a bite to eat. You coming?"

"Uh," My eyes flicked over to Cas.

We needed to talk.

"Not really hungry, Sam. You go ahead."

"'Kay," He ruffled my hair on his way out, and I sat on the bed silently, staring at Cas.

"Hey, Cas?"

He looked up at me impassively.

"Yes?"

"Can you…." I swallowed hard. "Can you save Dean?"

His eyes seemed a little less cool than before.

"I'm sorry, Odette. I don't think I can."

"Right." I nodded jerkily, blinking away my tears.

The bedsprings creaked as Cas sat down next to me.

"But I'll try my best, Odette. You know that."

Something like a smile passed over my face.

"Yeah. I do."

~Supernatural~

"Dude, there is a job here," Dean strode into the room.

Sam raised an eyebrow, but he didn't seem particularly surprised.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Dean nodded.

"You know that one freak accident we read about in the paper? There's four more that never even made the papers, all in this Morning Hill gated community. People falling off of ladders and drowning in their jacuzzis all over the neighborhood."

I blinked slowly.

"That is weird."

"Yeah, something's up," Dean got to his feet.

"Something these nice, big gates can't protect them from."

…

"All right," Sam took off his jacket. "Something's definitely up."

"I checked out all the vics," Dean shook his head.

"None of this should have happened."

I massaged my head.

"And I ran over the history of these guys. They're clean."

"You're looking in the wrong place."

For once, I didn't jump as Cas reappeared.

It had taken a surprisingly short amount of time for me to get used to him.

"What do you mean, Cas?" Dean said, his tone finally free of all animosity.

Cas leant against the door.

"There's something wrong with the children in this town."

Dean shrugged.

"You mean the creepy, 'stare at you like you're lunch' kids?"

Cas stared at him blankly.

"I suppose so."

He crossed over to our side of the room.

"There's a child at every victim's house. You're hunting a changeling."


	4. Changeling

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of it's characters.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

CHAPTER FOUR- CHANGELING

Sam sat on the bed, and I flipped through the research we'd gathered.

"So, changelings can perfectly mimic children," Sam chewed his lip.

"According to lore, they climb in the window and snatch the kid," I added.

"There were marks on the windowsill at one of the kid's houses," Sam noted.

"Looked to me like blood."

"The changeling grabs a kid, assumes its form, joins the happy fam just for kicks?"

Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Not quite," Sam slammed the book shut.

"Changelings feed on the mom: synovial fluid. They have these odd bruises on the back of their necks. Changelings can drain them for a few weeks before mom finally croaks."

"And then there's dad and the babysitter," Dean reminded Sam.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Seems like anyone who gets between the changeling and its food source ends up dead."

Dean held up the torch.

"And fire's the only way to waste them?"

Sam nodded.

"Great," Dean groused.

"We'll just bust in, drag the kids out, torch them on the front lawn. That will play great with the neighbors."

"They stash them underground somewhere," Sam supplied.

"I don't know why, but if it's true, the real kids might be trapped."

Dean's eyes flashed.

"I gotta check on someone."

~Supernatural~

Dean rang the doorbell, and an unusually pretty brunette opened the door, bewildered.

So this was Lisa.

"Dean?"

Her eyes swept over me curiously.

"I was thinking…" Dean blinked.

"Ben's birthday. I didn't bring him a present."

"That's okay," Lisa shifted uncomfortably.

"No. No, no, I feel terrible, so, uh…."

He handed her a credit card.

"Here. Take a long weekend—just the two of you—on me."

"What?" Lisa squawked in disbelief.

"I hear Six Flags is great this time of year," Dean said casually.

"Go now, avoid the traffic."

She read the name on the card dubiously.

"'Siegfried Houdini.' Whose card is this?"

"Mine." Dean grunted.

"Never mind. It'll work. I promise."

"I think you should leave," Lisa said slowly.

"Lisa….."

Ben came down the stairs.

"Mommy, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Ben," Dean interrupted. "It's cool."

Ben ignored him.

"Make them go away, Mommy."

Lisa turned back to us.

"You heard him. Get out."

"Lisa," Dean spoke rapidly. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Get out!"

She shut the door on our faces.

We ran back to Sam.

"They took Ben," Dean said. "He's changed."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Dean clenched his fists. "I checked his windowsill."

"Blood?"

I looked up.

"I don't think it is blood, and I think I know where the kids are."

~Supernatural~

"They're here," Cas confirmed, staring at the unfinished house.

Inside, Dean and I found the children in cages.

I recognized Ben, calling for Dean.

"Ben… Ben," Dean crouched down.

"It's okay, I'm gonna get you out of here."

Dean picked the locks, and I shepherded the kids out.

"It's okay," I said calmly. "Get out of here, okay? Come on, come on!"

Dean cleared off a windowsill, preparing to smash the glass.

"Everybody back! Everybody back!"

Ben helped me usher them away.

"Cover your eyes!" I called.

Dean broke the window with a plank of wood, brushing the glass off.

Ben took off his jacket.

"Here. Use this."

"All right. All right, Ben. Come on."

Ben indicated the boy standing next to him.

"Him first."

Sam and Cas ran in.

"Hey! Dean! There's a mother."

"A mother changeling?" Dean exclaimed incredulously.

Cas nodded.

"It's best if you get the children out as fast as you can."

"Right there," I pointed.

"There's one more. You got to open the lock."

Cas flicked his wrist.

The cage door swung open.

"Ben, get them out of here!" Dean yelled.

He helped the other kids out the window, and Cas stepped in front of me as the mother changeling approached.

It was over in seconds.

Cas threw the torch at the woman, and she wailed, bursting into flames.

~Supernatural~

We dropped off Ben at Lisa's place, and I patted Dean's arm as he stared at her house wistfully.

He looked down at me absently, and I led him away, pulling Cas along with me.

Cas blinked at me.

"What are you doing?"

I smiled.

"Dragging you along, of course. We have cases to take care of."

I wasn't sure, but I think Cas might have looked pleased.


	5. Good Luck, Bad Luck

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Yes, it's Bad Day At Black Rock!**

**Chapter name borrowed from Lynyrd Skynyrd.**

CHAPTER FIVE-GOOD LUCK, BAD LUCK

I entered John's storage container cautiously.

The phone call hadn't told us much.

Castiel stared at the red symbol around the bloody footprints calculatingly.

"No demons allowed," Sam shone his flashlight around the room.

"Blood," Dean stated. "Check this out."

Dean held up a tripwire attached to a shotgun hidden in a large animal skull.

"Whoever broke in here got tagged," Sam surveyed the room warily.

"Dear old Dad," Dean snarked.

"I got two sets of boot treads here, looks like it was a two-man job."

"And our friend with the buckshot in him looks like he kept walking," Dean added.

We ventured further inside.

Dean aimed his flashlight on the skull, shaking his head.

He picked up a trophy from the shelf, scraping off the dust.

"1995."

"No way!" Sam said in disbelief.

"That's my division championship soccer trophy! I can't believe he kept this."

"Yeah," Dean nodded. "About the closest you ever came to being a boy."

He turned around to look at something else.

"Oh, wow! It's my first sawed-off. I made it myself. Sixth grade."

Dean laughed, pumping the shotgun.

Cas, evidently tired of their loitering, moved into a back room.

"Look."

We glanced at the inscribed boxes lining the wooden shelves.

"These are curse boxes," Cas bent down to look at one.

"Curse boxes?" I echoed.

"They're built to contain evil magic."

Cas' eyes tightened.

"One is missing."

~Supernatural~

We snuck inside the apartment, peeking around the door.

The two men were playing poker.

"FREEZE!" Dean yelled, bursting in with the gun in his hand.

"Don't move!" Sam followed him in.

The first one blinked stupidly.

"What is this?"

"STOP!" Sam shouted.

"All right," Dean breathed out heavily.

"Give us the box. And please tell me that you didn't-"

I looked back at the ornate lid.

It wasn't shut.

"Oh, they did," I said grimly.

"You opened it?" Dean exclaimed.

Dean shoved the first guy against the wall.

"What was in the box?'

He glanced over at the coffee table.

It looked like a rabbit's foot.

The man ripped himself away from Dean, making a frantic grab for the foot.

It flew into the air, landing on Sam's hand.

…

Dean walked back to the Impala, tossing me a paper bag.

He got in, flipping out several scratch cards towards Sam.

He huffed.

"Come on, Dean, it probably doesn't even work."

Dean ignored him, throwing Sam a card and a coin.

Sam scratched it.

"Dean, it's gotta be cursed somehow," Sam said as he handed it back.

"Otherwise Dad wouldn't have locked it up."

Dean gaped at the card.

"1200….. You just won $1200."

He laughed.

"I don't know, man, doesn't seem that cursed to me!"

"That's where you're wrong," Cas appeared in the deserted parking lot.

"Tell me you didn't touch it."

Sam shifted uneasily.

If Cas could've sighed, I was sure he would've done so then.

"You have a serious problem."

Sam noticed something glinting under a newspaper on the ground.

It was a gold watch.

Before Sam did anything more than admire it, Cas threw it away.

"Hey!" Sam protested indignantly.

He narrowed his eyes at Sam.

"That rabbit's foot isn't a blessing, it's a curse."

"It's hoodoo," Cas persisted.

"Made by a conjuror woman about a century ago."

Sam frowned.

"It's a hell of a luck charm."

Cas looked almost annoyed.

"It's not a luck charm, Samuel. She made it to kill people."

"Once you touch it, you own it. You'll get unbelievably lucky, but once you lose it, that luck turns. You'll be dead in a week."

Sam shrugged.

"So I won't lose it, Cas, jeez!"

Castiel was so close to exasperation; he actually forgot to call him Samuel.

"Everyone loses it, Sam."

~Supernatural~

Sam was on his laptop, eyeing Dean with ill-concealed disgust as he scarfed down his bowl of ice cream.

"Cas was right," Sam's fingers flew across the keyboard.

"It's lore goes way back. Pure hoodoo. You can't just cut one off any rabbit. Has to be in a cemetery, under a full moon, on a Friday the thirteenth."

Dean nodded, gulping his ice cream down.

He promptly got struck with brain freeze, and I laughed at him as a pretty waitress with short black hair approached.

She only addressed Sam.

"Can I freshen you up?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Sam smiled. "Thanks."

She poured more coffee, but spilled some, and apologized profusely.

The waitress appeared to be flirting with Sam as she mopped it up, and Dean and I snickered together, ignoring Sam's dirty look.

She finished quickly, and they leaned back to look at her as she walked away.

"Dude." Dean grinned. "If you were ever gonna get lucky….."

"Shut up," Sam smirked.

Sam reached for his cup, and promptly knocked it over, spilling it all over the table,

"Oh!"

Sam turned, and a waiter with a full tray crashed into him.

"Sorry!" Sam said, flustered,

Dean raised an eyebrow.

"How was that good?"

I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as Sam searched jacket.

I knew before he said it.

The rabbit's foot was gone.


	6. A Good Run Of Bad Luck

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! **

**Chapter name borrowed from Clint Black.**

CHAPTER SIX- A GOOD RUN OF BAD LUCK

Dean banged the apartment door open, making Grossman jump in fright.

Sam hung back warily.

"Oh, man," Grossman glared at us. "What do you want?"

"Heard about your friend," Dean leaned against the counter.

"That's bad luck."

"Piss off," Grossman scowled.

Dean looked at him calculatingly.

"We know someone hired you to steal the rabbit's foot. A woman."

He blinked.

"How do you know that?"

Dean flexed his jaw.

"Because she just stole it back from us," He admitted grudgingly.

Grossman burst out laughing.

"Listen, man, this is serio-"

Sam stepped forward and tripped on a wire on the floor mid-sentence, pulling a CD player off a shelf and taking out a lamp as he went.

Dean rolled his eyes, and I sighed.

"Sam, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good!" Sam's voice came from behind the couch.

He pulled himself up, and Grossman smirked.

Dean turned back to him.

"I want you to tell us her name."

"Screw you," Grossman returned.

I looked over to him.

"It wasn't a freak accident that killed Wayne," I said.

"What?"

"It was the rabbit's foot," Dean answered.

"You're crazy, man," Grossman shook his head incredulously.

"You know I'm not," Dean crossed his arms.

"You saw what happened, what it did. All the flukes, all the luck. When you lose that foot that luck goes sour. That's what killed your friend. And my brother here is next. Who knows how many people after that. Now if you don't help us stop this thing, that puts those deaths on your head."

Grossman bit his lip.

"Now I can read people, and I get it," Dean continued.

"You're a thief, and a scumbag, that's fine. But you're not a killer. Are you?"

"No," Grossman whispered.

~Supernatural~

"You're telling him," Dean refused to listen.

"Why?"

"Because….." Dean thought for a second. "Just 'cause, okay?"

"He's gonna come sooner or later, and he'll chew me out if I tell him."

I crossed my arms huffily.

"And what makes you think he won't do the same to me?"

Dean got impatient.

"Because you're you, all innocent Bambi-ish you, and he never gets mad at you anyway."

I shifted uncomfortably.

"And he likes you better, too," Dean added.

I turned pink.

"Dean, he does not li-"

Of course, this was the time that Cas decided to show himself.

"I found a cleansing ritual that should work," Cas held out a scroll of paper.

"It's complex, but effective."

Dean nudged me none-too-gently, and I glared at him.

"That's great, Cas," I looked down uneasily.

"'Cept Sam, uh," I looked over to him.

His shoe had fallen in a drain.

"Sam," I gulped nervously. "Lost the foot."

There was silence for a few ominous seconds.

"Sam lost the foot," Cas repeated expressionlessly.

"Yes," I squeaked, looking anywhere but at him.

I was going to murder Dean.

Cas measured my anxious expression, and turned away, uttering something that probably wasn't very complimentary in Latin,

_See?_ Dean mouthed.

I scowled.

"Some woman stole it from us," Dean supplied.

Cas gave him a withering look.

"That much is apparent, Dean. And now I have to find her, or your brother dies."

He promptly disappeared.

~Supernatural~

"Bela Talbot," I turned around at his voice.

"What?" Dean glanced at Cas.

"That's the woman who stole the foot."

"Is she a hunter?" I stood up.

Cas looked at me blankly.

"No. She's a thief."

"You," Cas turned to stare at Sam. "Stay here. Don't do anything."

"I'm not going anywhere," Sam replied miserably.

Cas caught hold of me and Dean, and the next thing we knew, we standing outside a high-rise.

"Let's go," Cas made to move forward, but Dean stopped him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, there, Cas. You poof in like that, she definitely won't give us the foot. Why don't you hang back?"

Cas looked at him dispassionately.

"I don't think it's a good idea."

I smiled slightly.

"We'll call if we need any help."

…

We'd reached a stalemate.

Dean had his gun trained on Bela, and her gun was on me.

"Look, Bela, my brother, he touched the foot," Dean said curtly.

"And when you took it from him, his luck went from-"

"I know how it works," Bela said with a self-satisfied smile.

"So then you know he's gonna die unless we can destroy it," I looked at her in disgust.

Bela seemed decidedly insincere.

"Oh, you can have the foot."

We blinked, surprised.

"For one point five million," She added.

"Nice," Dean snorted. "So you're only out for yourself, huh? It's all about number one?"

Bela's smile widened.

"We're all going to hell, Dean. Might as well enjoy the ride."

"I actually agree with you there," Dean grinned.

"Anyhoo, this has been charming, but, uh, look at the time. Oh, and this?"

Dean revealed the rabbit's foot in his hand.

Bela glowered at him.

"Looks like you're not the only one with sticky fingers. If it's any consolation, I think you're a truly awful person."

Bela fired at us and completely missed.

Dean grabbed me and we ran for the door.

She fired again, and the bullet ricocheted around her apartment, breaking several objects.

Dean waved the foot at Bela tauntingly.

"See ya!"

~Supernatural~

We ran in, searching for Sam.

I could hear his captors in the other room.

"Shut up! It's God, Creedy. He led us here for one reason. To do his work. This is destiny."

Dean let the door crash open.

"Nope. No destiny, just a rabbit's foot."

The man pointed the gun at him.

"Put the gun down, son, or you're gonna be scraping brain off the wall."

"What, this thing?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that thing."

"Okay. But you see, there's something about me that you don't know."

Dean put his gun down smugly, picking up a spare pen.

"Yeah? What would that be?"

"It's my lucky day."

He tossed the pen towards him.

It lodged itself into the barrel of his gun.

Sam blinked, impressed.

Dean laughed gleefully.

"Oh my God, did you see that shot?"

Creedy lunged at Dean, aiming for a punch.

Dean side-stepped easily, and Creedy ran straight into a wall, falling backwards and hitting the floor.

The other man stared at the pen in his barrel before trying to dislodge it.

"I'm amazing," Dean grinned.

He picked up the TV remote from the table and threw it hard at the guy, who was just about to aim for Dean.

It hit him right between the eyes.

He dropped like a stone.

"I'm Batman," Dean said suavely.

Sam rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. You're Batman."

~Supernatural~

I sprinkled the cayenne pepper over the embers, stepping back.

Dean pulled out the foot.

"All right, say goodbye, wascally wabbit."

A gun cocked nearby.

"I think you'll find that belongs to me," Bela said smugly.

"Or, you know, whatever, Put the foot down, honey."

"No." Dean set his teeth together.

"You're not going to shoot anybody. See, I happen to be able to read people. Okay, you're a thief, fine, but you're not-"

Bela answered him by shooting me in the shoulder.

My knees hit the ground hard, and I groaned in pain.

"Son of a-"

"Back off, tiger," Bela said silkily.

"Back off. You make one more move and I'll pull the trigger."

I got up shakily, clutching my shoulder.

"You've got the luck, Dean. You I can't hit. But your little kid sister? Her, I can't miss."

I gritted my teeth.

"I'm sixteen," I muttered. "_Sixteen_."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Dean exploded.

"You don't go around shooting people like that."

Bela cocked the gun at me again, and suddenly Cas was there, fastening his hands around her neck.

"Shoot her again and I'll kill you."

Cas' voice was eerily calm.

Bela cursed, and the gun dropped to the ground.

Cas picked it up slowly.

"Go."

His voice was icy.

Bela glared at us one last time.

I tossed the foot into the flames.


	7. Take Warning

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**I'm skipping Sin City and Bedtime Stories. **

**On with it, shall we?**

_Red sky at night, sailor's delight,_

_Red sky at morning, sailor take warning._

CHAPTER SEVEN- TAKE WARNING

The witness, Gert, was flirting shamelessly with Sam.

She'd eyed Cas speculatively, but at a single glare from me, she backed off.

"Please," She simpered. "It's Ms. Case."

Did I mention she was about seventy years old?

"Okay," Sam blinked. "Um, Ms. Case, you were the one who found your niece, correct?"

"I came home, she was in the shower."

"Drowned?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"So the coroner says," Gert shrugged.

"Now, you tell me, how can someone drown in the shower?"

"How would you describe Sheila's behavior in the days before her death?"

Cas looked at her expectantly.

"Well, yes," Gert said thoughtfully.

"Sheila mentioned something quite strange before she died. She said she saw a boat."

"A boat?" I echoed.

"Yes. One minute it was there, then it was gone. It just disappeared right before her eyes. You think it could be a ghost ship?"

Sam paused.

"Uh, could be."

"You let me know if there's anything else I can do for you."

She traced a finger slowly along Sam's hand.

He looked acutely uncomfortable, and Dean and I had a hard time stifling our snickers.

"Anything at all."

~Supernatural~

We walked along the docks quietly.

"What a crazy old broad," Dean remarked eloquently.

"Why?" Sam demanded. "Because she believes in ghosts?"

"Look at you," Dean whistled.

"Sticking up for your girlfriend. You cougar hound."

"Bite me," Sam snapped.

Tired of their bickering, Cas decided to intercede.

"This boat. It's not the first one started around here. Every thirty-seven years, reports of a vanishing three-mast clipper out in the bay have been recorded. And every thirty-seven years, there's a mass of drownings. On land."

"It's just getting started," I realized.

"What's the lore?" Dean asked.

"Well, there are apparitions of old wrecks sighted all over the world. The S.S Violet, the Griffin, The Flying Dutchman, almost all of them are death omens," Cas supplied.

"So you see the ship and then a few hours later, you pucker up and kiss your ass goodbye?"

Cas stared at him for a second.

"That's not an analogy I would've used, but….yes."

"What's the next step?" Sam looked up.

"We gotta I.D the boat," I answered.

"That shouldn't be too hard," Dean said hopefully.

"I mean, how many three-mast clipper ships have wrecked off the coast?"

"Um," I sighed. "About one hundred and fifty."

"Wow."

I looked at the empty parking lot, confused.

"Dean, where's the Impala?"

Dean's eyes roved the place.

"This is where I parked it."

"Did you feed the meter?" Sam said, surprisingly calm.

"Yes, I fed the meter!" Dean sniped.

"Where's my car? Somebody stole my car!"

"Calm down," Sam instructed.

"I am calmed down!" Dean exploded. "Somebody stole my ca—"

He began hyperventilating.

"Whoa," I said, alarmed. "Dean. Hey, hey, hey. Take it easy."

A woman sauntered up.

"The '67 Impala? Was that yours?"

"Bela," Sam growled.

"I'm sorry," Bela smiled insincerely. "I had that car towed."

"You what?" Dean yelled.

"Well, it was in a tow-away zone," Bela shrugged.

"No, it wasn't!"

"It was when I finished with it," Bela smirked.

"What the hell are you even doing here?" I surveyed her with dislike.

"A little yachting," She answered flippantly.

"You're working with that old lady, aren't you?" Sam glared at her.

"Gert's a dear old friend," Bela grinned.

Cas stepped in front of us.

"Give them back their car. Now."

"And what'll you do, sweetie?" Bela drawled.

"Or I'll make you regret it," Cas' eyes flashed.

We got the car.

~Supernatural~

We staked out Peter Warren's house, and I shifted uneasily.

Cas wasn't here, and that made me even more nervous.

Both Sheila and Peter had seen the ship, but they had nothing in common.

I remembered how Bela had mocked us.

Was this really the life I wanted for myself?

Of course not.

But I looked at Dean and Sam, still quibbling in an undertone, and smiled slightly.

Maybe it wasn't what I'd expected, but I would stick with my family.

And that meant I'd stay with Cas, Dean and Sam, no matter what.

Peter found us out, parked outside his place, and refused to listen to us.

He ran to his car and got in, starting to drive off.

Before he made it to the gate, the car shuddered and died.

"That can't be good," Dean picked up his gun.

We ran to the car, but it was too late.

The spirit glared at me, and I shuddered.

Peter was convulsing, spewing up water.

Dean shot the spirit just in time, and I searched for a pulse.

There was none.


	8. Hand Of Glory

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**On with it, shall we?**

CHAPTER EIGHT- HAND OF GLORY

I sat on the damp wooden floor, listening to Dean murmur to Sam.

"You can't save everybody, Sam."

"Yeah, right," Sam snorted. "So-so what, you feel better now or what?"

"No, not really," Dean admitted.

"Me neither."

They both looked over to me, and I shrugged helplessly.

I supposed I wasn't as good as hiding my emotions as they were.

"You gotta understa-"

"It's just lately," Sam sighed. "I feel like I can't save anybody."

Somebody knocked at the door, and Dean stood up warily, poking his head outside.

It was Bela.

He exchanged a long look with us before opening the door.

"Dear God, are you actually squatting?"

She waited for a second.

"So how'd things go last night with Peter?"

I averted my gaze, shame coursing through me.

Bela clucked her tongue.

"That well, huh?"

"If you say 'I told you so', I swear to God I'll start swinging," Dean growled.

"Look, I think the four of us should have a heart to heart," Bela leant against the doorway casually.

"That's assuming you have a heart," Dean snapped.

That was when Cas appeared.

"We don't need her," He said flatly.

"On the contrary," Bela smirked. "I come bearing gifts."

Cas stared at her dispassionately.

"Try anything, and I will kill you."

Bela winked at me with easy familiarity.

"Handsome, but a bit of a drama queen, yeah?"

I flushed a deep shade of pink.

"What gifts?" Sam demanded.

"I've ID'd the ship. It's a merchant sailing vessel, quite a colorful history. In 1859, a sailor was accused of treason. He was tried aboard a ship in a kangaroo court and hanged. He was thirty-seven."

"Which would explain the thirty-seven year cycle," I said grudgingly.

"Aren't you a sharp tack?"

She paused a beat.

"I have a photo of his somewhere….here."

We looked at it.

"Isn't that the ghost we saw last night?" Dean cocked an eyebrow.

"You saw him?"

"Yeah, that's him," Dean nodded. "Except he was missing a hand."

"His right hand?"

"How'd you know?" Sam asked Bela sharply.

"The sailor's body was cremated, but not before they cut off his hand to make a hand of glory."

"A hand of glory, I think I got one of those at the end of my Thai massage last week," Dean laughed.

Cas stared at him blankly.

"Dean, the right hand of a hanged man is a serious cult object and is very powerful."

"So they say," Bela admitted.

"And officially counts as remains," Dean added.

"But still, none of this explains why the ghost is choosing these victims."

"I'll tell you why," Bela rolled her eyes.

"Who cares? Find the hand, burn it and stop the bloody thing."

"I don't get it," Dean's eyes narrowed.

"Why are you telling us all of this?"

"Because I know exactly where the hand is."

"Where?"

"At the Sea Pines Museum, it's a carp bit of maritime history. But I need help."

"What kind of help?"

~Supernatural~

I adjusted the straps, glaring at my heels with trepidation.

I looked at myself critically in the mirror.

Sam ruffled my hair lightly, careful not to mess it up.

"You look amazing."

I flushed in pleasure, inching my way down the steps.

i took one look at Cas and froze.

I sighed, massaging my temple.

"You need to change your clothes, Cas."

He looked at me blankly.

"I am not going to pretend to be someone I'm not."

"Okay…" I sighed again.

I tilted my head as a new idea struck me.

Before Cas could object, I pulled off his trenchcoat.

As I suspected, he was wearing a black tux underneath.

I couldn't help noticing how good he looked.

I clasped my hands together.

"Now you won't have to change. Come on, Cas."

He blinked, and I found his deer-in-the-headlights expression adorable.

"Look, I'm sixteen, and in this dress I look a bit older, and you look around twenty. Nobody's gonna notice us."

Cas shifted uneasily.

"Please?" I pleaded.

He nodded, his expression resigned.

I could hear Bela and Dean bickering in the other room.

I caught Cas staring at me again.

"Something the matter, Cas?"

"No," I could have been imagining it, but pink tinged his cheeks as his eyes traveled down the length of my white dress.

"At least," He muttered. "Nothing of import."

Dean walked in, studiously ignoring Bela.

He suddenly grinned as he looked at me.

"Talbot, I think you just got upstaged."

Bela's expression soured.

…

"Cas," I tugged on his elbow.

"Everyone else is dancing. We need to fit the part."

Bela had pretended to pass out, and hopefully she and Dean had taken the hand of glory by now.

Cas' eyes widened.

"But I don't know how to dance."

I laughed quietly.

"Don't worry, I'll show you."

Cas looked even more nervous.

I suppressed my smile.

"You trust me, right?"

He let me lead him out on the dance floor, and the song changed.

"Hand on my waist," I instructed.

I placed mine on his neck.

"Now sway."

Cas wasn't half-bad as I steered him across the floor, and I hid my smile as we twirled.

I caught Sam giving me an odd look, but I decided to ignore it.

Cas' voice came out slightly strangled.

"What kind of dance do you call this?"

"Slow," I replied. "Slow dance."

I cast a sympathetic look towards Sam.

Gert was all over him.

I smiled a little.

I'd never expected to slow dance with an angel.

By the time Dean and Bela returned, I was disappointed that the song had finished.

Sam, on the other hand, was vastly relieved.

"You got it, right?" Sam jumped into the Impala.

"Tell me I didn't get groped all night by Mrs. Havisham for nothing."

I shook with laughter, and Sam shot me a dirty look.

"Just let me see it."

Dean rummaged in his bag, then cursed.

"What?" Sam demanded.

"I'm gonna kill her," Dean snarled.

Bela had taken the hand.

~Supernatural~

Dean was fuming, and no attempt to reason with him worked.

Cas had finally told us the motive behind the victims.

Someone knocked anxiously on the door, and Dean opened it with a grimace.

"I can explain," Bela said rapidly.

"I sold it, I've had a buyer lined up since I knew it existed."

"So the whole reason for us to go to the Charity Ball was…?"

Sam crossed his arms.

"I needed a cover, you were convenient."

"Look, you sold it to a buyer, just buy it back," Sam said disapprovingly.

"It's halfway across the ocean, I can't get it back in time."

"In time for what?" Dean demanded.

"What's going on with you, Bela?" I stood up.

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I saw the ship," Bela whispered.

"You what?"

I shook my head, appalled.

"Cas told us the spirit's motive, Bela. He's going after a very specific kind of target. People who've spilt their families' blood."

But then again, who was I to judge?

I'd shot my only remaining family in the head.

"So who was it, Bela?" Dean sneered. "Who'd you kill, was it daddy? Little sis, maybe?"

"It's none of your business," Bela swallowed twice.

"No, you're right," Dean agreed.

"Well, have a nice life, you know, whatever's left of it."

"Let's go," Sam pulled me along.

"You can't just leave me here," Bela said incredulously.

"Watch us," Dean clenched his teeth.

"Please," Bela said reluctantly. "I need your help."

"Our help?" Dean laughed.

"Now, how could a couple serial killers possibly help you?"

"Okay, that was a bit harsh, I admit it, but it doesn't warrant a death sentence!"

"That's not why you're gonna die," Sam said quietly.

"Whatcha do, Bela?"

"You wouldn't understand," Bela turned away. "No one did."

"Never mind, I'll just do what I've always done, I'll deal with it myself."

"You do realize you just sold the one thing that could save your life?" Dean looked at her disgustedly.

"I'm aware."

"Maybe not the only thing," Cas answered.

~Supernatural~

Cas etched out the sacrificial circle in the graveyard.

"Is this going to work?"

Cas looked at me impassively.

"Almost definitely not."

The sky was stormy, and rain began to pour down, icy cold against my skin.

"Sammy, you better start reading," Dean told him.

"How'd you know about this?" I whispered to Cas.

He turned back to look at me.

"This spell calls for me. How could I not know?"

Sure enough, when Sam started reading, Cas was mentioned.

"Aziel, Castiel, Lamisniel, Rabam…." He continued in Latin.

"Stay close," Dean commanded Bela.

"Behind you!" She screamed.

Dean groaned, and I latched onto his hand as we were thrown through the air.

Bela was starting to cough up water.

I struggled, holding her head back.

"Sam, read faster!" I shouted.

Bela started weeping.

This time, it was two ghosts who appeared.

"You….hanged me," The first one rasped.

The brother whimpered.

"I'm sorry!"

"Your own brother…."

"I'm so sorry!" It screamed.

They charged at each other, and Cas pulled me out of the way as light flooded through the cemetery.

I knew they wouldn't be back.


	9. Savage Blood

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**So, it's Fresh Blood, people!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

CHAPTER NINE- SAVAGE BLOOD

I stared at the vampire tied to the chair.

Something was wrong.

The deaths were too sloppy, the corpses too hastily hidden, almost as if they were….

Almost as if they were bait.

Odette looked pale, listening to the girl pleading to be let go.

Something stirred inside of me as I glanced at her, and I froze.

This had been happening more and more frequently in the two years I'd had to guard her.

Unbidden, the memory of Odette dancing with me slipped into my mind.

I remembered the way she'd looked that night, the way she'd wrapped an arm around my neck….

Jimmy Novak chuckled sleepily, preventing me from completing my thought.

_You really have no idea what's happening, do you? _He said amusedly.

_What do you mean?_

Jimmy refused to answer, lapsing back into slumber.

Dean and Sam pulled us aside.

"Poor girl," Sam said in an undertone.

"We don't have a choice," Dean said grimly.

Odette turned to me, eyes glimmering.

"Can you….."

"No," I shook my head.

Of course this would affect her.

Dean picked up the machete, and Odette flinched.

"I can't watch this," She choked out, running out of the room.

I tried to force myself to stay where I was, to not go after her, but I couldn't.

I just couldn't.

That frightened me.

I was an angel.

I wasn't supposed to experience any of this; it shouldn't have mattered to me.

I wasn't supposed to _care_.

But Odette had changed all that, and I didn't even know why.

Before I knew it, my feet had carried me out the door to where Odette was standing.

Something like pity rose up in me.

Odette had too much heart.

I knew it, Dean knew it, even Sam knew it.

Odette wasn't cut out for this world.

She didn't deserve its brutality, it's coldness, it's violence.

But here she was, nonetheless.

She leant against the windowsill, and I had the odd urge to still her shaking shoulders.

I stiffened.

This was wrong.

"You know what, Cas?" Odette sniffed loudly.

"Sometimes I wish I didn't care so much, I wish it wouldn't hurt so much. It would make things so much easier."

"Don't," The vehemence in my voice surprised us both.

"Don't," I repeated.

"It's what makes you you, Odette. Don't ever change."

_Well done,_ Jimmy whispered.

Something like a smile crossed Odette's face.

"Thanks, Cas."

I hated the flash of warmth that swept through me.

Inside, the vampire screamed.

~Supernatural~

We exited Spider, and I glanced at the red lights with distaste.

I could tell the club was making Odette uncomfortable.

"That was a big, fat waste of time," Dean grumbled.

"Look, three blondes have gone missing, including Lucy, all last sighted here," Sam reasoned.

"I'm telling you, Dean, this is the hunting ground."

Odette tugged on my arm, and I shifted to where she was looking.

A man who looked to be in his thirties was ducking into an alley with an arm around a young blonde girl.

I moved forward soundlessly.

The man held up a dropper of red liquid.

Vampire blood.

The girl giggled.

He tilted it back, and the girl opened her mouth.

Before any could fall in, Dean grabbed his arm, and punched him in the face.

Sam shoved the girl towards the mouth of the alley.

"Get out of here!" Odette pushed her forward. "Go!"

The vampire hurled Dean into a brick wall, and before I could catch him, took off at a run.

Odette and Sam pulled Dean up.

I tensed as I sensed a familiar presence.

Dark, and black, and empty.

Only one person had that aura.

Gordon Walker raised his gun.

I pulled Odette behind me as he and his ally fired freely at us.

The bullets wouldn't affect me, but it would definitely harm the other three.

We dived behind a row of parked cars, managing to deflect the shots.

Dean crouched down.

"All right," He murmured. "Run. I'll draw them off."

"What!" Sam glared at him. "You're crazy!"

"No!" Odette caught onto Dean's sleeve.

He shook her off.

"Take them back."

Before I could object, he darted out into the line of fire.

I had no choice.

I sent them back.

Sam and Odette paced the hotel room floor anxiously.

A knot of worry tightened in my stomach.

Finally, Dean entered.

Odette sighed in relief.

"There you are!" Sam exclaimed.

Dean shrugged, unconcerned.

"Yeah. Sorry, I stopped for a slice."

"Nice move you pulled back there, Dean," Sam scowled.

"Running right at the weapons."

Dean grinned unconvincingly.

"Well, what can I say? I'm a bad-ass."

He ignored their tense expressions.

"So, I guess Gordon's out of jail."

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," Odette sat down heavily.

"How the hell did he know where to find us?"

Dean froze.

_Bela,_ His mind raged.

"That bitch," Dean snarled, pulling out his phone.

"Hi, Bela," Dean's voice was deceptively calm.

"Hello, Dean," Bela's voice was cool.

"Question for you," Dean kicked a chair leg.

"When you called me yesterday, it wasn't to thank me for saving your ass, was it?"

"Gordon Walker paid me to tell him where you were," Bela answered.

"Excuse me?" Dean said incredulously.

"Well, he had a gun on me. What else was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know," Dean reddened.

"Maybe pick up the phone and tell us that a raging psychopath was dropping by!"

"I did fully intend to call," Bela said insincerely. "I just got a bit sidetracked."

"He tried to kill us!" Dean exploded.

I listened to Dean yell, but his final statement was deathly quiet.

"Bela, if we make it out of this alive, the first thing I'm going to do is kill you."

For once, Bela didn't answer.

~Supernatural~

I tracked him through the city, and then I froze.

The scent of blood swirled around him, hot and cloying.

There was no mistaking it.

Gordon Walker had been turned.


	10. Tainted Blood

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Well, who's ready to say goodbye to Gordon?**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**On with it, shall we?**

CHAPTER TEN- TAINTED BLOOD

Dean banged the door open, frustrated.

We looked up from where we were sitting, poring over maps.

"Man, I must have checked three dozen motels, empty buildings, warehouses," Dean threw his jacket down on the bed.

"Yeah, us too," Sam sighed. "Big city."

Dean washed his face in the sink.

"It's like a giant haystack, and Gordon's a deadly needle. We're running out of daylight. Won't have the sun slowing him down."

"Yeah, he'll be unstoppable," Sam said grimly.

"Hey, give me your phone."

"What for?"

Sam snatched mine as well, pulling out the SIM cards.

"Well, if Gordon knows our cell numbers, he can use the cell signal to track us down."

"Oh, yeah, thanks."

I watched reluctantly as Sam stomped on our phones.

Dean walked back to us, his face carefully expressionless.

"Sam, Bambi, stay here."

"What? Where are you going now?" Sam asked sharply.

Dean pulled out the Colt from his bag.

"I'm going after Gordon."

"What?" I squawked.

"You heard me."

"Not alone, you're not," Sam crossed his arms.

"Sam," Dean's voice was weary.

"I don't need you to sign me a permission slip, okay? He's after you and the kid, not me, and he's turbocharged."

Dean didn't let us object.

"Look, Cas already told us he's turned. He'll look after you, okay?"

I didn't like where this was going.

"You're not going by yourself," I shook Dean hard.

"You're gonna get killed!"

Dean scowled at me.

"I want both of you to stay out of harm's way. It's Sam he's specifically after, and there's no way in hell I'm taking a sixteen year old kid along."

Sam glowered at him.

"So you're the guy with nothing to lose now, huh? Oh wait, let me guess. Because, uh, it's because you're already dead, right?"

Dean shrugged.

"If the shoe fits."

"You know what, man?" Sam kicked at the table.

"I'm sick and tired of your kamikaze trip."

"Whoa, whoa, kamikaze?" Dean rolled his eyes.

"I'm more like a ninja."

"That's not funny," Sam answered.

"It's a little funny," Dean pushed.

"No, it's not," I said tonelessly.

Dean sat down on the bed.

"What do you want me to do, huh? Sit around all day writing sad poems about how I'm gonna die? You know what? I got one. Let's see, what rhymes with 'shut up, guys'?"

"Drop the attitude, Dean," Sam stood up.

"Quit turning everything into a punch line. And you know something else? Stop trying to act like you're not afraid!"

"I'm not!" Dean shouted.

"You're lying," I said quietly.

"Give it up, Dean, I can see right through you."

Dean's face flushed angrily.

"You got no idea what you're talking about."

"Yeah, we do," Sam replied.

"You're scared. Dean. You're scared because your year is running out, and you're still going to hell, and you're freaked."

Dean swung his head around to look at us.

"And how do you know that?"

"Because we know you," I answered softly.

"Really?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

Sam had reached his limit.

"Yeah, I've been following you around my entire life! I mean, I've been looking up to you since I was four, Dean. Studying you, trying to be just like my big brother. So, yeah, I know you, better than anyone else in the world. And this is exactly how you act when you're terrified! I mean, I can't blame you, it's just…."

"What?"

Sam sighed.

"I wish you'd drop the show and be my brother again."

I looked over to Dean.

Sam had said it all, but I couldn't let this go.

"You said it yourself," I murmured.

Dean's gaze shifted to me.

"We're family, Dean, and you don't just let that go."

I caught onto his sleeve.

"I just…."

"What?" Dean said for a second time.

I didn't let go of his arm.

"I just want my big brother back," I whispered.

Dean paused for a second, looking at both of us.

"All right, we'll hole up, cover our scent so he can't track us, and wait the night out here."

~Supernatural~

Dean's phone rang as he barricaded the doors and windows, and Sam lit the incense sticks.

"You've had that phone two hours, Dean," Sam frowned.

"Who'd you give the number to?"

"Nobody."

He picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Dean."

I stiffened as I recognized Gordon's voice.

"How'd you get this number?"

Gordon chuckled.

"Your scent's all over the cellphone store. And that little girl's….. absolutely delicious…."

I shivered involuntarily, and Sam squeezed my hand.

"Of course, I can't smell you now," Gordon added. "Where are you?"

Dean's eyes tightened.

"I guess you'll just have to find us."

"I'd rather you come to me," Gordon said softly.

"What's the matter, Gordo?" Dean paced the floor.

"You're not afraid of us, are you? We're just sitting here. Bring it on!"

"I don't think so," Gordon answered coldly.

"Please, please," We froze at the sound of the girl.

"Factory on riverside off the turnpike," He said in a business-like tone.

"Be here in twenty minutes or the girl dies."

Dean gritted his teeth.

"Let her go, Gordon."

"Bye, Dean."

"Gordon!" Dean glared around the room.

"Don't do this. You don't kill innocent people. You're still a hunter."

"No." Gordon laughed.

"I'm a monster."

~Supernatural~

We found the girl and untied her.

"Hey, we got you," Sam said soothingly.

"Don't worry. We're gonna get you out of here."

We helped her up.

"Watch your head."

She was sobbing, and could barely walk, so Dean slung her arm over his shoulder and picked her up.

"Stay close, Sam," Dean ordered.

Dean spoke too soon.

A mechanized door suddenly slid down in front of Sam, cutting him off from us.

"Sam!"

"Dean! Odette!"

"Damn it," Dean swore, hacking at the door.

Cursing myself for my stupidity, I called for Castiel.

"Cas-"

Before I could do more than say his name, the girl tackled us to the ground, fangs bared.

I closed my eyes on instinct as the vampire girl screamed.

There was a dull thud, and I opened my eyes cautiously.

Cas pulled us up, opening the door with a flick of his wrist.

We came just in time to see Sam cut off Gordon's head.


	11. The Anti Claus

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Ah, don't you just LOVE A Very Supernatural Christmas?**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**On with it, shall we?**

CHAPTER ELEVEN- THE ANTI-CLAUS

"So, whatcha got?" Dean walked into the room, looking at us expectantly.

I bit my lip thoughtfully.

This case was crazy.

"So, was I right?" Dean didn't wait for an answer.

"Is it the serial-killing chimney sweep?"

"Yep," Sam's fingers flew over the keyboard.

"It's uh, it's actually Dick Van Dyke."

"Who?" Dean wrinkled his nose.

"'Mary Poppins.'"

"Who's that?" Dean was mystified.

I sniggered quietly.

"Oh come on," Sam waved a hand. "Never mind."

"It turns out that Walsh is the second guy in town grabbed out of his house this month."

"Oh, yeah?" I wasn't surprised.

"Yeah."

"The other guy got dragged up the chimney, too?" Sam asked.

"Don't know," Dean shrugged.

"Witnesses said they heard a thump on the roof. So, what the hell do you think we're dealing with?"

"Actually, we have an idea," Sam said slowly.

"Yeah?"

"Uh, it's gonna sound crazy," I warned Dean.

He rolled his eyes.

"What could you possibly say that sounds crazy to me?"

"Um…." Sam smiled sheepishly. "Evil Santa."

Dean paused, then nodded.

"Yeah, that's crazy."

"Yeah…. I mean, I'm just saying that there's some version of the anti-Claus in every culture."

I held out the sheaf of pictures to Dean.

"You got Belsnickel, Krampus, Black Peter…"

Dean grabbed the papers from me.

"Whatever you want to call it, there's all sorts of lore."

"Saying what?" Dean waited expectantly.

"Saying back in the day," Sam said patiently.

"Santa's brother went rogue and now he shows up around Christmas time, instead of bringing presents, he punishes the wicked."

Dean cocked an eyebrow skeptically.

"By hauling their ass up chimneys?"

"For starters, yeah," I admitted.

"So, this is your theory, huh?" Dean narrowly avoided breaking into laughter.

"Santa's shady brother?"

"Well, I'm just saying that's what the lore says," Sam stood up and closed the window.

"Santa doesn't have a brother," Dean insisted. "There's no Santa."

"Yeah, I know," Sam snapped.

"You're the one who told me that in the first place, remember?"

Dean was speechless.

Sam looked over to him.

"Yeah, you know what, I could be wrong."

"Maybe, maybe not," Dean said cautiously.

"What?"

"I did a little digging. Turns out both victims visited the same place before they got snatched."

"Where?"

~Supernatural~

Cas stared stiffly around the place, and I smiled at his discomfort.

"Just a couple more minutes, Cas."

"It does kind of lend credence to the theory, don't it?" Dean looked about the village uneasily.

"Yeah, but anti-Claus?" Sam raised an eyebrow. "Couldn't be."

"It's a Christmas miracle."

Dean swung around to look at us.

"Hey, speaking of, we should have one this year."

"Have one what?" Sam asked obliviously.

"A Christmas."

Sam scoffed.

"No, thanks."

"Naw, we'll get a tree, a little Boston market, just like when we were little."

"What about you, Bambi?"

I jumped as Dean addressed me.

"I'm fine either way, Dean….." I looked away.

"But what's left to celebrate anymore?" I added quietly.

Cas glanced at me sharply, but looked away when Sam started speaking.

"Dean, those weren't exactly hallmark memories for me, you know?"

"What are you talking about?" Dean said incredulously.

"We had some great Christmases."

"Whose childhood are you talking about?" Sam asked wryly.

"Oh, come on, Sam," Dean pushed.

"No! Just…. no."

Dean pulled back, surprised.

"All right, Grinch."

Dean walked away, and Sam stared after him guiltily.

I pulled Sam out of his reverie.

"What are we looking for, again?"

"Um," Sam looked around distractedly.

"Lore says that the anti-Claus will walk with a limp and smell like sweets."

"Hey, look!" I tugged on Dean's arm, pointing at the Santa who'd gotten off the chair and limped his way to the gate.

"A lot of people walk with limps, right?" Sam said doubtfully.

Dean froze.

"Tell me you didn't smell that. That was candy."

"That was Ripple, I think," I said suspiciously.

"Maybe," Dean looked after the man.

"We willing to take that chance?"

~Supernatural~

We spied on the man's house, and my eyes drifted shut.

As usual, my head was on Cas' shoulder.

This happened so often, Cas didn't even notice anymore.

"Here," Sam passed Dean a thermos. "Caffeinate."

Dean took it and attempted to pour it into a cup.

The flask was empty.

Dean shot him an annoyed look.

"Wonderful."

Dean stretched back in his seat.

"Hey, Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you the boy that hates Christmas?"

"Dean—"

"I mean, I admit it," Dean nodded reluctantly.

"We had a few bumpy holidays when we were kids."

"'Bumpy?'" Sam's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"That was then," Dean frowned, craning his head to look at me.

"Come on, Bambi, you must have had Christmas for years."

I kept my face buried in Cas' shoulder.

"Yeah, I did," My voice came out muffled.

"And the people I spent it with are all dead."

"Look, Dean," Sam decided to intercede.

"If you want to have Christmas, knock yourself out. Just don't involve me."

Dean stared at us in disbelief.

"Oh, yeah, that'd be great. Me and myself making cranberry moulds."

Sam ignored him, and continued to watch the house.

The phony Santa carefully looked outside and drew his curtains shut.

"What's up with Saint Nicotine?" Dean quipped.

We waited, but nothing happened, so we jumped out of the car and ran to the house.

Dean and Sam cocked their guns.

Dean peeked inside, frowning at Sam's expression.

"What?"

"Nothing," Sam said unconvincingly. "It's just that, uh….. well, you know, Mr. Gung Ho Christmas might have to blow away Santa."

We banged the door open.

Santa was smoking with his bong.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He roared.

We realized he was only watching TV.

"Ah, w-"

Dean broke into song, and I winced at the discordant notes.

Sam was almost as bad, and Cas was no help at all.

"S-silent night… holy night, all is well, all is dr-"

I stepped on their feet, he wasn't going to believe us if they continued singing.

They got the hint and shut up.

I opened my mouth, swallowing nervously.

How long had it been since I'd sung anything?

"_Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright….._"

I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to block out the memories.

My singing belonged to a happier time.

A happier life.

"_Round yon virgin, mother and child, holy infant so tender and mild….._"

In my mind's eye, I could almost see my mother singing the words along with me, Jared on one side and Sammy sitting in my lap, Dad bringing in the tree, filling the room with the scent of pine and honeysuckle.

Tears pricked at my eyes as we backed away slowly, the man waving his arms in sync with my voice.

They were all gone now.

Dead.

"_Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace…_"

~Supernatural~

"I didn't know you could sing," Dean gave me a strange look as we waited for Sam and Cas to return.

"Never really came up, did it?" I smiled humorlessly.

"But you….." Dean coughed awkwardly.

"You sounded like you'd done it a lot."

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised.

Dean wasn't as perceptive as Sam, but that didn't mean he didn't see.

"I used to sing every Christmas with my mom," I whispered softly.

Dean opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything when Sam flung the door open.

"Cas knows what we're hunting."

"The victims all had meadowsweet in their wreaths," Cas replied.

"What the hell is meadowsweet?" Dean demanded.

"It's very rare," Cas sat down on the bed stiffly.

"It's the most powerful plant in pagan lore."

"Pagan lore?" I echoed.

"Yes. Meadowsweet was used for human sacrifices. Gods were drawn to the plant, and they ate the nearest human next to it."

Cas' eyes flashed.

"Somebody's selling these wreaths on purpose."

…

"This Madge Carrigan, she's selling 'em for free," Dean took off his boots.

"What do you think about that?"

"I think it's pretty suspicious," Sam's eyes narrowed.

They took off their jackets, and I curled up next to Dean.

For once, he didn't stop me.

"Remember that wreath Dad brought home that one year?"

"Do you mean the one he stole from, like, a liquor store?"

"Yeah, it was a bunch of empty beer cans," Dean snorted.

"That thing was great. I bet if I looked around hard enough I could find one just like it."

"All right…" Sam fixed him with a curious look.

"What's going on with you?"

"What?" Dean asked defensively.

Sam propped himself up on one elbow.

"I mean, since when are you being Crosby all of a sudden? Why do you want Christmas so bad?"

"Why are you so against it?" Dean returned.

"Were your childhood memories that traumatic?"

"No, that has nothing to do with it," Sam retorted just a little too quickly.

"Then what?"

"I-I mean, I-I just…" Sam stammered incoherently.

"I don't get it. You haven't talked about Christmas in years."

"Well, yeah," Dean lowered his voice.

"This is my last year. I'd like to do things right with you guys, one last time."

I jerked my head up at that.

"And that means you too, Pretty Boy," Dean added.

Cas blinked, losing his stern expression for once.

"I….. thank you, Dean."

"I know," Sam said softly. "That's why I can't."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I can't just sit around, drinking eggnog, pretending everything's okay, when I know next Christmas you'll be dead."

Dean nodded silently.

"I just can't."

I inched closer to Dean, catching onto his arm.

"What's the point of celebrating Christmas, Dean, when I know you'll be gone the next?"

I hid my face in his shoulder.

"What's the point?" I repeated inaudibly.


	12. A Bizarre Christmas Incident

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Ah, I just loved writing this!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**I decided to do a Dean PoV today. Hopefully you'll see why I added it. :P**

**Chapter name borrowed from Ben Folds.**

**On with it, shall we?**

CHAPTER TWELVE- A BIZARRE CHRISTMAS INCIDENT

Being the absolute idiots that we were, we'd decided to break into Madge Carrigan's house.

Only Madge Carrigan was a pagan god, along with her husband, Edward.

Partners in crime, and all.

Nice.

Wouldn't want to invite _them _for Christmas dinner.

Which was how we ended up tied back to back in chairs.

Sam came to with a groan, blinking around at the kitchen.

I craned my head back to look at him.

"Sam, you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Then it sunk in.

Where the hell was Bambi?

Sam realized it at the same time I did.

"Oh, no," Sam breathed.

(Drama queen.)

She'd been with us when we'd come in, but where the hell was Odette now?

Of course, this was the time Madge and Edward decided to come in, bedecked in their loud, Walmart-y Christmas sweaters.

(Sam just asked me when I learnt the meaning of bedecked. Bitch.)

"Ooh," Madge the pagan god beamed.

"And here we thought you two lazybones were gonna sleep straight through all the fun stuff."

She giggled.

"Miss all this?" I glared at her. "Nah, we're party-ers."

Edward smoked his pipe.

"Isn't he a kick in the pants, honey? You're hunters, is what you are."

"And you're pagan gods," I retorted.

"So why don't we just call it even and go our separate ways?"

"So you can bring more hunters and kill us?" Edward laughed.

"Ha ha, I don't think so."

"You should have thought about that before snacking on humans," Sam scowled.

"And where's our sister?" I demanded.

"Ah," Edward grinned.

"That's my cue. Pretty little thing, isn't she? Absolutely adorable."

I gritted my teeth.

If she got hurt because of us… Odette was our responsibility.

And I couldn't stand losing more of my family in the time I had left.

"If you've done anything to her, I swear….."

"Relax," Edward waved a hand. "There's rituals to be followed first."

"Oh, we're just sticklers for ritual," Madge enthused.

Creepy little thing (or creepy big thing, 'cause the broad was pretty well-padded) was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

"Anyway," Edward nodded at us.

"Catch you guys later. Or you know, not. Whatever. I've got business with Nancy Drew."

That _really_ didn't sound good.

Edward picked up a wreath of meadowsweet and almost skipped out the door.

Sick bastard.

"Where's he gone?" I asked Madge suspiciously as she put the wreaths around our necks.

"Oh, honey, Edward does like the pretty ones," Madge clapped her hands together.

"Don't you two just look darling?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam shouted.

His question was answered when we heard Odette scream through the kitchen door.

I was about to take in a big gulp of air and yell for Cas when Madge stuffed rags in our mouths.

I glowered at her indignantly.

"Can't have you calling your angel friend, now can we?"

She moved out of my sightline, and then Sam started yelling.

"D-Don't!"

"Sammy? Sammy!"

No one messed with my brother.

"Leave him alone, you bitch!" I roared.

Madge came around and sliced my arm.

I cursed, glaring at her balefully.

"You bitch!"

"Oh, my goodness me!" Madge whistled.

"Somebody owes a nickel to the swear jar. Do you know what I say when I feel like swearing? 'Fudge.'"

Lady was cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.

She picked up a set of pliers, moving over to Sam.

He sounded freaked.

_Really_ freaked.

"What do you think you're doing with those?"

Then Sam seriously started screaming, and I kicked at my chair.

Something clinked in the goblet as Madge chuckled.

"And we have a winner!"

She raised her knife at me again.

"You fudging touch me again and I'll fudging kill you!"

"Very good, dear," Madge sliced my other arm.

I clenched my teeth as Odette shrieked again, the sound grating against my ears, because this was my little sister screaming, screaming in pain, and I wasn't even there next to her.

Suddenly, the sound cut off with a peculiar gurgle.

This was not good.

"Let her go!" Sam yelled.

Madge ignored us, chewing her lip thoughtfully.

"Well, what else? Let's see, fingernail, blood, oh…."

She hit herself on the head.

"Sweet Peter on a popsicle stick, I forgot the tooth!"

I breathed out hard.

"Merry Christmas, Sam."

I received a moan in reply.

She pulled out the rag.

Madge grabbed my chin in her hands, putting in the puller.

"Open wide and say 'aah'!"

I groaned as she started pulling.

The doorbell rang.

"Somebody gonna get that?"

I sighed in relief as Madge paused.

"You should get that."

She left.

I probed my tooth cautiously with my tongue.

That was all the time we needed to get out of the ropes, and call Cas.

Feathers didn't even wait for us to speak, banging the door open and gutting Edward.

"Way to go, Van Damme," I bumped his shoulder with mine.

He looked at me blankly as he cut Odette out of the ropes.

She fell to the floor with a groan.

The kid had multiple cuts on both arms, but that seemed to be it.

At least, that was what I thought until Sam asked her a question.

"Odette, you all right?"

She opened her mouth, and promptly started spitting out blood.

I crouched down next to her, alarmed.

Bastard had pulled out her tooth.

There was too much blood for her to even speak.

"Okay, easy there, Bambi," I wiped a thumb across her mouth.

"Just take it easy."

Cas pulled her up by the tops of her shoulders, cupping her chin in one hand.

The cuts disappeared.

(The tooth had re-grown, I guess, but it wasn't like I was gonna check, now was I?)

Odette blinked rapidly.

"Thanks," She whispered.

"Edward!" Madge barreled into the room, shaking her husband's (or was that pseudo-husband's?) dead body.

"You're gonna die," She hissed.

It might have been actually scary, if a fat blonde Martha Stewart-y lady in a green reindeer sweater hadn't said it.

I ripped out a branch from the tree, shoving it into Madge's chest.

She screeched, flopping onto the ground.

Evergreen branches.

Gotta love 'em.

I flipped her pudgy body over, staring at it in disgust.

"Merry Christmas, bitch."

~Supernatural~

I walked into the room, and froze.

Odette was wrapping a wreath around the window, and….. was that eggnog in Sam's hand?

Even Cas was there in the corner, looking uncomfortable.

The room didn't look half-bad, considering.

Must've been Odette who'd done the decorating.

Girls.

Didn't know how they did it.

"Hey, you got the beer?" Sam held the cup up.

Frankly, I was amazed.

"What's all this?"

"It's Christmas, Dean," Odette slung an arm around my shoulder.

"What else could it be?"

I looked over to Sam.

"What made you change your mind?"

Sam didn't answer, handing me the eggnog.

"Let me know if it needs more kick."

I sipped it, and pressed my lips together.

"No, we're good."

Sam's lip pulled upwards.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Once he looked away, I winced at the taste.

Odette smirked at me, pushing me down on the seat.

I stared at the Christmas tree in the corner.

Strange, for once, I was actually happy.

I nodded.

"All right, first things first," I tossed Sam his present.

Sam opened his gift, and for a second, he looked like the eight-year-old boy I used to take care of.

"Skin mags," Sam laughed. "Thanks, man."

I unwrapped mine.

"A cleaning kit for my baby," I grinned. "This is great, thanks, Sammy."

"Good," Sam said quietly.

"My turn," Odette threw me the tightly wrapped square.

I ripped it open, staring at it in disbelief.

"This…."

"Metallica," Odette nodded. "I put together all your favorites."

I blinked for a second.

"This is…." I stopped for a second.

"This is awesome, Bambi, thank you."

"You're welcome."

I reached into my jacket, pulling out the cassette tape.

"Here. This is for you."

Odette took it blankly, mouth falling open.

"But this your best AC/DC tape, Dean. You love it."

"Yeah," I scratched at my neck. "And now it's yours."

"Dean…" I shifted away, 'cause she looked as if she was going to hug me again.

"Thank you."

I nodded jerkily.

"So, whatcha got for Sam?"

She smiled, then.

"Sorry, Dean."

Sam opened his box curiously, then broke into a wide grin.

"You got me Bon Jovi! Thanks, Odette!"

She grinned.

"Thought you might like it."

Sam flushed, then.

"Here."

He held out a chain, with a blue pendant set in a teardrop shape.

"I thought this would look good on y-"

The rest of his sentence was cut off as Odette squeezed the life out of him.

"It's beautiful, Sam, I love it!"

"Yeah," Sam turned red.

(My brother, the gay man.)

Odette looked up nervously at Cas.

"I wasn't sure what to get you, but…."

"You didn't have to-" Cas began, but Odette shushed him.

"I did. I kinda noticed your trenchcoat was a little shabby…"

Understatement of the century.

Thing was ripped and stretched so badly, you couldn't even tell the color anymore.

"So, I got you this," She held up a tan coat shyly.

Cas blinked at her, flummoxed.

The poor guy had probably never gotten a Christmas present in his life.

He pulled it out of her hands, and for a second there, he actually looked like a regular human guy.

Just for a second.

Cas slipped it on.

"Thank you, Odette."

"You're always welcome."

"I…" Cas hesitated. "I went back to your house."

Odette stiffened.

"To get this," He pulled out a faded blue notebook from behind him.

It looked like a diary.

"That's….." Odette sniffed. "That's my mom's diary. I used to read it everyday after she died."

Cas looked even more uncomfortable, if that was possible.

"Yes. I know you miss her, and I thought-"

He paused, blinking, as Odette bounded up and caught his hand in both of hers.

"Thank you, Cas. This is perfect." She wiped at her cheek.

"Thank you so much."

~Supernatural~

I sighed, looking at Odette's head on my lap.

She mumbled incoherently, fast asleep, one arm locked around Sam, who was snoring softly.

Her other hand had somehow ended up clinging to Cas', and she hadn't let go, even in her sleep.

Cas looked pretty jittery, but I noticed he hadn't removed it.

I placed a hand on her head for a second, looking at Sam the next.

Who was going to take care of these idiots when I was gone?

Sam was strong, stronger than me.

He'd get through with Odette.

But who was going to look after my kid sister?

There really was only one person to ask.

"Cas?"

He looked up at me expressionlessly.

"Yes?"

I jerked my head at the other two.

"Take care of them for me, would you? You're the only one I trust enough to do that."

He dipped his head slowly.

"Of course."

"Especially her," I nudged Bambi gently. "She'll be busy worrying about Sam, and I know she won't bother about herself. Just keep her safe, would you?"

Cas looked down at Odette's hand in his.

"Of course, Dean."

His eyes softened as he stared at her sleeping face.

"I always have," Cas murmured.


	13. Season Of The Witch

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Ah, Malleus Maleficarum. Has anyone read it? ;)**

**Chapter name borrowed from Donovan.**

**On with it, shall we?**

CHAPTER THIRTEEN- SEASON OF THE WITCH

I covered my head as the rain pattered onto the pavement, falling into step behind Dean and Sam.

We were investigating the death of Janet Dutton, and her husband had seemed edgy, almost uneasy.

Dean seemed to share my thoughts.

"That dude seem a little evasive to you?"

"I don't know, I was under a sink pulling this out," Sam held out a small grey pouch from his pocket.

"Hex bag."

Dean took it and pulled it open.

"Aw, gross."

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"There are bird bones, rabbit's teeth. This cloth is probably cut from something Janet Dutton owned."

Dean looked back at the house before getting into the Impala.

"So we're thinking witch?"

"Uh, yeah," I picked up the bag gingerly.

"And not some New Age wicked water douser, either. This is old world black magic."

~Supernatural~

"I hate witches," Dean grumbled.

Sam chuckled.

"What do you say, Cas?"

He looked up from his seat next to me.

"I despise witches. They allow themselves to be corrupted, they turn their backs to God, and they worship their evil. And what's worse, they don't even think they're doing anything wrong."

Dean blinked.

"I was gonna say they always spew their bodily fluids everywhere, but that works too, Cas."

I think Cas might've rolled his eyes.

"Pretty much," Sam fought back a smile.

"It's creepy, you know, it's downright unsanitary," Dean griped.

I stretched my cramped muscles.

"Yeah, well someone definitely had it out for Janet Dutton."

"Yeah, someone who snuck into that house and planted the bag," Dean snorted.

"So, what are we thinking, we're, uh, looking for some old craggy Blair bitch in the woods?"

"No." Cas straightened up.

"It could be anyone. They're all human, Dean. Just like everyone else."

"Great, how do we find 'em?"

"This wasn't random," Sam frowned. "Someone in Janet's life had an ugly axe to grind. We find the motive—"

"We find the murderer."

~Supernatural~

We tailed Paul Dutton inconspicuously.

I grabbed Cas' elbow as Paul pitched forward in his car seat.

We were out in a flash.

Dean ran over to Paul, lifting him up as he choked on the pavement.

"Check the car!"

I scrabbled under the dashboard and steering column, fingers shaking, as Paul's groans grew louder.

"Bambi!"

My fingers brushed against cloth, and I grabbed the bag quickly.

"Got it!"

I tossed it to Cas, who set it on fire with a flick of his wrist.

The bag burst into blue-green flames.

Paul stood up shakily, leaning against his car.

"You okay?"

"What the hell is happening to me?"

"Someone murdered your wife and now they're trying to kill you, that's what's happening to you."

Dean crossed his arms.

"That's impossible!"

Paul shook his head violently.

"There's no way—"

"If we hadn't been following you, you'd be dead right now," Cas said bluntly.

"Now who wants you dead?" Sam waited expectantly.

"I….uh…"

"Come on, think," I bit my lip nervously.

"There's a woman," Paul stuttered.

"A woman. Okay," Dean said cautiously.

"An affair," Paul stammered.

"A mistake, she was unbalanced, she was blackmailing me and I put an end to it a week ago."

"What's her name?" Cas asked.

"What could she have to do with-?"

"Paul," Dean growled. _"What is her name?_"

…

Dean picked the lock quickly, entering Amanda's house.

We found her lifeless body sprawled on the table.

"That's a curveball," Dean stated baldly.

"Yeah," Sam agreed.

Dean lifted her slit right arm with the barrel of his gun.

"Three per wrist, vertical. She wasn't foolin' around."

Sam put the gun in his back pocket, bending down to look at the scattered remnants of the altar.

"Yeah, looks like she was working some heavyweight evil here."

"Yup," Dean turned around, nearly running into the hanging body of a rabbit.

"Oh, god!" Dean backtracked hastily.

"Freakin' witches! Seriously man, come on!"

I stepped back.

"Guess we know where she got the rabbit's teeth from," I said a little faintly.

"Well, Paul sure knows how to pick 'em, huh?" Dean huffed disgustedly.

"It's like Fatal Attraction all over again."

"Yeah."

"And why does the rabbit always get screwed in the deal?" Dean asked indignantly.

"The poor little guy!"

Sam ignored him.

"You know what I don't get, Dean? If she was so bent on revenge, why do this?"

"Well, she got Janet Dutton, thought she finished off Paul, decided to cap herself and make it a spurned lover's hat-trick," Dean theorized.

"Maybe," Sam said, unconvinced.

"Or maybe not." Cas bent down, pulling something out from under the carpet.

A hex bag.

"Oh, come on!" Dean shouted in disbelief.

Cas was grim as he peered inside it.

"We've got a coven on our hands."

~Supernatural~

"The women we met," Cas sat up. "They were all witches."

"You saw the herbs. Belladonna, wolfsbane, mandrake. Everything's there."

Suddenly, the Impala juddered to a stop.

"What the hell?"

There was a blonde girl standing in front of the car.

Was this…

"Ruby," Sam confirmed.

The demon that'd saved Sam's life.

That could save Dean.

"Sam, listen to me," Ruby urged. "There's no time."

"For what?" Sam demanded. "What are you talking about?"

"You have to get out of town," She insisted.

"So this is Ruby, huh?" Dean cocked the Colt, aiming it at her.

"Never had the pleasure."

"Wait." Cas caught his arm.

He strode forward to Ruby.

"State your business."

Something like fear flashed in her lamp-like eyes.

"You don't understand." Ruby turned on her heel.

"These witches serve demons. And there's one here right now. It knows you're in town, and it's more than you can handle."

"You seem to forget I'm still here," Cas took a step ahead.

"I'm strong enough to stop it."

Ruby looked at him impassively.

"Are you?"

Cas' eyes flashed.

"Leave. Before I prove it to you."

Ruby vanished.


	14. Witches Rave

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Um, yeah, Cas PoV. You'll understand later.**

**I think.**

**Chapter name borrowed from Jeff Buckley.**

**On with it, shall we?**

CHAPTER FOURTEEN- WITCHES RAVE

Brotherhood.

I used to think I was familiar with it.

After having watched Dean and Sam, however, I wasn't so sure.

Or even Odette...

I shifted my gaze away almost at once.

And I wasn't sure why I'd done it.

I felt Jimmy Novak's amusement, but this time, he stayed silent.

I was glad.

I didn't want his advice.

Especially when I felt so...

_So what?_

I suppose I spoke too soon.

Were vessels even supposed to be able to converse with the angels who possessed them?

Jimmy Novak snorted.

_I gave up my family for you, buddy. And no offense, but you kinda need it_.

_Why?_ I asked wordlessly.

Jimmy chuckled.

_Isn't it obvious, Cas? You need help being human_.

I stiffened, anger coursing through me.

_I am __**not**__ human. I never will be_.

Even if... even if I was beginning to...

I cut the thought short.

I didn't want to admit it.

Jimmy wisely remained quiet.

My attention spun to Dean as he began coughing hard.

"Dean? Dean!"

Odette flew to his side, and Sam towered over him.

There was only one thing that could do this.

"The coven," I said grimly, flinging the cupboard door open.

The hex bag was nowhere to be found.

Sam had been working his jaw tightly, and now he jumped up, grabbing the Colt and running out the door.

"Sam!"

~Supernatural~

Dean leaned over, coughing harder into a pool of his own blood.

He wouldn't last much longer, even as I tried to forestall the spell.

Odette looked pale, but she held Dean's head back, whispering something inaudibly.

I could read her mind, though.

_Not again, not again_, it said.

Quick footsteps tapped up to the door, too light for Sam.

Ruby kicked the door open.

Dean looked up at her in disgust.

"You wanna kill me? Get in line, bitch," Dean snarled.

I looked at the bottle in Ruby's hand.

If that was what I thought it was...

I let Ruby pull Dean up by his collar and spray the liquid into his mouth.

Dean choked on it, trying his best to spit it back out.

Ruby took a step back.

"Stop calling me bitch."

Odette glanced at Ruby distrustfully, but she looked at me.

_Can we trust her? _

I shook my head silently.

Dean sat up with a groan, and tried to shrug Odette off as she wiped his face with a towel.

Ruby tossed a sawed off shotgun at Dean.

"Next time you point that gun at me, I'm not gonna just disappear, understand?"

Dean spoke haltingly.

"You saved my life," He said reluctantly.

"Don't mention it."

Ruby looked at me steadily.

_Are you gonna kill me, angel boy?_

I looked back at her impassively.

_Not yet._

Stalemate.

"What was that stuff?" Dean wrinkled his nose.

"God, it was ass. It tasted like ass."

Ruby looked at Dean condescendingly.

"It's called witchcraft, shortbus."

She turned and walked out of the room, leaving Dean on the bed, slightly offended.

"You're the shortbus, shortbus."

~Supernatural~

Sam should've been back by now.

By the time we reached the witches' house, I knew what was wrong.

I could sense her.

Cold, and dark and ruthless.

It would be difficult to kill her.

But I had a score to settle.

I pushed Odette behind me.

Dean ran in with his shotgun held aloft.

She sent him flying into the sofa, pinning him to the wall opposite to Sam's.

Before I could do anything, Odette was flung into the air, clutching at her throat.

She turned to me.

"Castiel," She rasped delightedly.

"It's so good to see you. I confess, I got a little lax all those years ago."

I looked at her in hate.

"Aosoth. I'm afraid I can't really say the same."

She smiled at me sweetly.

"Oh, yes, I do remember. I killed your little angel friend, didn't I? How awfully inconsiderate of me."

Three pairs of eyes flashed to my face, but I had eyes only for Aosoth.

"Her name was Levanael," I hissed. "And I'll kill you the way you killed her."

Ruby banged the door open.

"Wait."

Aosoth froze.

Ruby held up her hands in the air.

"Please, I just came to talk."

Aosoth looked at her appraisingly.

"You made it out of the gate, impressive. That was a bitch of a fight, wasn't it?"

She shrugged.

"Doors outta hell only open for so long."

"What do you want, Ruby?"

I decided to let her take over.

I knew what she was planning.

"I've been lost without you, take me back. That's why I led them here."

Dean looked angrily at Sam.

_Told you so,_ He mouthed.

"They're for you," Ruby continued. "As a gift."

Aosoth raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Let me serve you again," Ruby pleaded.

"I've wanted it, I've wanted you for so long."

"You were one of my best."

They looked at each other for a long moment.

I could see the dagger poking out of Ruby's backpocket.

Aosoth caught her arm as Ruby raised it to strike.

"But then again, you always were a lying bitch."

She sent Ruby flying, beating her viciously.

Aosoth leaned over her, smiling widely.

"We've been here before, haven't we?"

She looked back at us.

"She didn't tell you?"

Aosoth turned back to Ruby.

"Pretty mortifying, I guess. She was one of mine. I turned her out a long, long time ago. Ruby here was a witch. Of course, that was when she was human."

Odette looked up in surprise.

Aosoth's attention was fixed on Ruby, and I crept forward.

I picked up the fallen knife.

Aosoth began chanting.

"Monye valack forsa, ulu iri regatt ruac, fieesh nieesh forthsa le immist..."

I moved forward, plunging the knife into her back.

Aosoth choked, and I looked at her steadily as her eyes blackened and dimmed.

"I told you I'd kill you."

The other three crashed to the floor.

Ruby got to her feet, wiping the blood off her face.

She stared at me for a second.

"I guess you are strong enough."


	15. Caught In A Dream

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Chapter name borrowed from Alice Cooper.**

**On with it, shall we?**

CHAPTER FIFTEEN- CAUGHT IN A DREAM

I entered the hospital nervously.

I still didn't like going in them.

I shrank close to Cas as I watched Bobby's unresponsive form.

Sam was doing his best to stay calm.

"So, what's the diagnosis?"

The doctor shrugged helplessly.

"We've tested everything we can think of. He seems perfectly healthy."

"Except he's comatose," Dean pointed out incredulously.

"Mr. Sniderson, you're his emergency contact. Anything we should know? Any illnesses?"

"No," Dean shook his head. "He-he never gets sick. I mean, he doesn't even catch cold."

Sam looked up despondently.

"Look, I'm sorry, but we don't know what's causing it...so we don't know how to treat it. He just...went to sleep and didn't wake up."

~Supernatural~

Cas ran a hand over Bobby's forehead, grimmer than I'd ever seen him.

"Dean. Sam."

His quiet voice cut through their heated argument, and we looked up expectantly.

Cas sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Bobby was working a job in this town. A person named Dr. Walsh Gregg died a few days ago, went to sleep and never woke up."

He locked gazes with us, holding up a sheet of paper depicting a spiky plant.

I recognized Bobby's untidy scrawl at the bottom.

We leaned in closer.

"This plant is silene capensis. It's also known as African dream root. It's been used by shamans and medicine men for centuries."

Dean huffed.

"Let me guess. They dose up, bust out didjeridus, start kicking around the hackey."

Cas' expression turned from severe to endearingly bewildered.

"I do not understand what you mean. Dream root is used for dreamwalking."

I glanced at Cas worriedly, he looked more perturbed than I'd ever seen him.

"What's the matter, Cas?"

He got to his feet, pacing the floor.

"You don't understand. It's used for entering another person's dreams, infiltrating inside their heads, peeling away layer after layer of your darkest secrets."

I opened my mouth to speak, but Cas cut me off.

"He knows we're hunting him. All three of you are in danger, do you understand?"

Cas' eyes flashed.

"He will twist and tear into your consciousness, enhance your fears, he will bring your every nightmare to life. The darker your memories, the better it is for him."

Cas' eyes bored holes into mine.

"Do you know what this means?"

I did.

It meant I was first in line.

~Supernatural~

"So how do we find our homicidal sandman?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Could be anyone," Sam chewed his lip thoughtfully.

"Yeah," Dean sighed.

"Anyone who knew the doctor and had access to his dream shrooms."

"Maybe one of his test subjects or something?" Sam offered.

"Possible," Dean admitted.

"But his research was pretty sketchy. I mean... I don't know how many subjects he had or who all of them were."

I flopped down on the hotel bed.

"Cas is looking, guys," I said tiredly.

"He'll find a way to save Bobby. I know he will."

"I know," Dean said wearily.

"But we need to do something. We need dream root."

I buried my face in the pillow.

"Unless you know someone who can score it..."

"Crap," Dean cursed.

I propped myself up on one elbow.

"What?"

"Bela," Dean said quietly.

"Bela?" Sam said in disbelief.

"Crap. You're actually suggesting we ask her a favor?"

"I'm feeling dirty just thinking about it," Dean acknowledged.

"But yeah."

I jumped as Cas reappeared.

"I don't think it's a good idea."

"Too bad, bubby," Dean thumped him on the back, flipping open his phone.

I supressed my laughter as Cas eyed the sleeping Sam with ill-concealed suspicion as he smiled in his sleep, mumbling something unintelligible.

Dean shook him awake.

"Dude. You were out, and making some serious happy noises."

Sam looked exceedingly uncomfortable, not looking at the three of us directly.

"Who were you dreaming about?"

"What?" Sam squawked. "No one! Nothing!"

Cas looked his way, and I could've sworn he smirked.

Just a little.

"I called Bela," Dean said unnecessarily.

Sam stilled at this, a quick smile flashing over his face.

"Bela? Yeah? She...What'd she...you know, say? She...gonna help us?"

"Shockingly," Dean rolled his eyes. "No."

There came a loud rap on the door, and Dean slowly moved forward, opening the door cautiously.

His expression turned annoyed as he swung the door open.

"Bela. As I live and breathe."

Bela entered casually, tossing her black coat on a chair.

Sam pointedly did not look at her, waving a hand weakly.

"Hey, Bela. What's going on?"

She tossed Dean a jar from her bag.

"I brought you your African dream root."

"Nasty stuff, and not easy to come by."

Dean narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Why the sudden change of heart?"

Bela attempted a mock-hurt expression.

"What? I can't do you a little favor every now and then?"

Cas eyed her with poorly-disguised dislike.

"No. You can't."

Bela huffed.

"You said this was for Bobby, right? I'm doing it for him, not you."

"Bobby?" Dean cocked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"He saved my life once," Bela said grudgingly.

She waited a beat.

"In Flagstaff."

Dean exchanged a look with us, and I shrugged.

"I screwed up and he saved me, okay?" The words burst out from Bela's lips.

"You satisfied?"

"Maybe."

"So when do we go on this little magical mystery tour?" Bela asked sleekly.

She backed away as Cas moved her way.

"You're not going anywhere. I don't trust you."

Sam looked slightly disappointed as Bela backed off.

"It's two am," Bela complained peevishly. "Where am I supposed to go?"

"Get a room," Dean said brusquely, keeping the jar in the safe.

Bela stomped out of the room in a huff.

"Nice to see you, Bela!" Sam called after her faintly.

~Supernatural~

Cas seemed the closest to angry I'd ever seen him in years.

"Somebody broke into this room," He hissed. "That boy, whoever he is, has your DNA."

"Yours," Cas jerked his head at me. "Alone.

"I swear I-"

Cas shushed me in an instant.

"You don't understand. He's a killer, a sadist. He can attack you any time now, and he'll eat away at your brain, chip at your sanity bit by bit until you're screaming for death, all right?"

My eyes dilated as I backed away from him.

Cas' eyes softened as he stared at me.

"I'm sorry, I just..."

"What?"

Cas' eyes clouded over.

"I just don't want you to get hurt."


	16. The Nightmare Returns

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Yes, I know it's short, but I update fast, right?**

**And I put a tiny little reference to Dream A Little Dream Of Me (the song) in this chapter.**

**See if you can catch it. **

**Chapter name borrowed from Alice Cooper.**

**On with it, shall we?**

CHAPTER SIXTEEN- THE NIGHTMARE RETURNS

I kicked my leg against the seat irritably.

I was tired.

I needed sleep.

My eyes drifted shut.

"Alright, that's it, I'm done."

"What are you doing?" Dean asked sharply.

I slid down in my seat, pointedly closing my eyes.

"Taking myself a long-overdue nap," I muttered.

"What?" Sam squawked. "Cas will freak. That guy, whoever he is, can come after you."

"That's the idea," I kept my eyes firmly shut.

"Excuse me?" Dean said incredulously.

"Come on," I sighed. "Cas can't find him. Let him come to me."

"On his own turf?" Sam scowled at me. "Where he's basically a god?"

"I can handle it," I insisted unconvincingly.

"Not alone, you can't," Dean refuted.

Before I knew it, two hands reached back and pulled out a lock of my hair.

"Ow!"

I looked over to them.

"What are you doing?"

"Coming in with you," They said in unison.

I glared at them.

"No, you're not."

"Why not?" Dean demanded. "It'll be three against one."

I opened and closed my mouth several times.

"'Cause I don't want you inside my head," I whispered.

Bad enough I'd had to see it once.

Re-living it, with them?

I wasn't sure I was strong enough.

"Too bad."

We downed the liquid.

My last thought was of Cas, wondering how much trouble I would be in when I got back.

If I got back.

Everything went black.

~Supernatural~

I was the first to wake up.

It was dark outside, and I shook Dean and Sam awake nervously.

"Jeez! For the love of God!" Dean said grumpily, climbing out the car.

Sam carefully pushed me behind him as we walked forward.

That's when I realized we weren't alone.

I froze as I looked at the three on the picnic blanket spread out on the grass.

"Come on, Odette," Mom smiled at me. "We only have an hour."

"You're supposed to play with me, remember?" Sammy stuck out his lip in the old, familiar way I'd loved.

I looked at the third boy in silence.

"You promised," Jared stared at me accusingly.

_I made a lot of promises, Jared. I broke every one._

Dean and Sam's eyes swiveled from mine to my family on the grass.

"Come on, Bambi," Dean gently put a hand on my shoulder. "Let's go."

I stopped in my tracks for a second time as a stick snapped on my right.

"Odette."

Cas said nothing more, simply leaning against a sycamore tree casually, but something unidentifable flashed in his unusually expressive eyes, making the blood rush to my cheeks.

Sam crinkled his brow.

"What's he doing here?"

I couldn't tear my gaze from Cas.

"I have absolutely no idea."

Suddenly, the ground started shaking, and they vanished.

"Where'd he go?" I spun around to see Jeremy, the intern at the doctor's office Dean had interviewed.

Dean and Sam chased him, and I followed as fast as I could.

I wasn't fast enough.

I quickly lost track of them.

I found myself wishing for Cas.

Running in the same direction, I stilled as the woods turned into an oak paneled hallway.

I was standing in front of two doors.

~Supernatural~

I stared at the hooded man at the desk, flicking the lamp on and off.

In the pulsating light, I wasn't sure, but he might have been wearing a beige coat.

"Jeremy?"

The man slowly stood up, leaving the lamp on, finally.

He whirled to face me.

"Hello, Odette."

I swallowed, mouth opening in shock.

I was staring at Cas.

"No, no, no, no," I shook my head jerkily.

"I'm not afraid of you. You're not my worst nightmare. I'd trust you with my life, Cas."

Cas threw back his head and laughed, and the sound grated against my ears, high and cold.

The hairs rose on the backs of my arms.

"Well, now, you're quite right," Cas' eyes were empty and dark, almost black.

"It's not _me_ you're afraid of," Cas grinned maliciously.

A cold line of fear crawled down my back.

This wasn't the Cas I knew, the Cas I...

"It's your feelings, isn't it, Odette?"

Cas raised an eyebrow knowingly.

"Admittedly, it's not me that's your nightmare, but what? Can't let you confront thin air, now can I?"

He began circling me, eyes black and predatory, and I skittered back a step.

"But I think it's time we had a little chat."

Cas wagged a finger at me.

"No more denial, darling."

I blinked at him, panicked.

"What do you mean? I don't...I-"

"Save it," Cas spat.

"You can lie to everyone, Odette, but you can't lie to me."

"Your worst nightmares," Cas stepped close to me. "Are your feelings, Odette."

My eyes widened, and I backed away.

If it were true, and if it was him that was telling me this, that meant...that meant...

"You are afraid you're not enough," I gasped in pain as Cas pushed me against the wall.

"Stupid, pathetic little creature that you are, you're always afraid we'll leave you. That _I'll_ leave you."

His hands rested against my neck now, dangerously still.

"Isn't it funny?"

Cas laughed.

"You're terrified you're never going to be good enough. You're terrified that you'll screw everything up, because that's what you think you've done before. You're terrified to let yourself feel, because you don't trust yourself to be enough."

The tears spilled over onto my cheek as Cas continued.

"Guess what, honey? You were right."

His fingers fastened around my throat, and I closed my eyes.

This was it, then.

Light flooded the room, and the lamp splintered into pieces.

My eyes flew open in confusion.

Dream Cas made a last lunge for me, but the door slammed shut on his face, and I went flying through the air.

My head bounced off the wooden floor.

~Supernatural~

"Wake up."

I stared into cold, severe blue, and struggled to my feet.

"Ca-?"

"What were you _thinking?_" Cas hissed, leaving me tongue-tied as I glanced guiltily at his incensed face.

"I told you not to fall asleep! You nearly died, do you understand? And you could've taken them down with you!"

Cas stabbed a finger at Dean and Sam, who were groggily getting to their feet.

I finally noticed we were standing on the balcony of a high-rise, and there was a pool of blood between my shoes.

I jumped back a step, averting my gaze from Jeremy's motionless body.

"Cas, I'm sorry, I-"

The rest of my sentence was lost as Jeremy caught hold of my foot, flinging me over the side of the railing.

My scream cut through the air as I tumbled down, mingling strangely with Dean and Sam's shouts.

So this was how I was going to die.

I screwed my eyes shut as the ground neared, steeling myself for the pain.

It never came, as I landed with a soft _thump_ on something.

On someone.

"Don't stand so close to the railing next time," Cas said perfectly calmly, spreadeagled on the pavement.

I blushed scarlet from my position on top of him.

His face was an inch from mine, and my fingers twitched to reach up and...

And what?

"Never do that again," Cas said tonelessly.

"Sorry," I said again, hastily getting to my feet.

"I won't. Promise."

"Odette?"

I looked back at him, hearing Dean and Sam race down the steps.

"Yeah?"

"What did you see, when you were there?"

I froze, twisting my head so as not to look at him.

_You can lie to everyone, Odette, but you can't lie to me._

"Nothing, Cas. Nothing at all."

He could never know.

Even if I did.


	17. Magical Mystery Tour

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Chapter name borrowed from The Beatles.**

**On with it, shall we?**

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN- MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR

_"Heat of the moment..."_

Sam's eyes flew open and he vaulted up in bed.

_"Telling you what your heart is..."_

"Rise and shine, Sammy!"

Dean grinned at him from the opposite bed, tying his boots.

"Dude," Sam groaned. "Asia?"

"Come on, you love this song and you know it!" Dean wagged a finger at us.

"Yeah, and if I ever hear it again I'm gonna kill myself," I muttered, already in a bad mood.

And I didn't want to know the reason.

But I went ahead and admitted it anyway.

Cas wasn't going to help us on this case.

He'd said he'd had orders from his superiors, and would be back later.

I missed him already.

And I stubbornly refused to think about what that meant.

~Supernatural~

The door chimed as we entered the diner.

"Drive safely now, Mr. Pickett," I heard the cashier say.

"Yeah, yeah," Mr. Pickett replied crabbily.

Dean noticed a poster on the wall as we found a booth.

"Hey. Tuesday. Pig in a poke."

Sam snorted.

"You even know what that is?"

The waitress moved over to us.

"You three ready?"

"Yes," Dean smiled. "I'll have the special, side of bacon and a coffee."

"Make it two coffees and a short stack," Sam added.

Doris the server looked at me.

"And you, honey?"

I stared at the grainy wooden table.

"Just a glass of orange juice, please."

"You got it."

She went away.

Dean ruffled my hair carelessly.

"Cheer up, Bambi. Cas'll be back in no time, and then you can go right back to smothering the life out of him."

My head snapped up.

"I do not smother him, Dean," I said indignantly, hoping he didn't notice the red rushing to my cheeks.

"Of course," Dean ignored me. "It's not like he minds, per se. I certainly don't see him stopping you."

I blushed harder.

Sam took pity on me, and diverted Dean's attention.

"This job's small fry," Dean griped.

"We should be spending our time hunting down Bela."

"Okay, sure," Sam rolled his eyes.

"Let's get right on that-where is she again?"

"Shut up," Dean replied tetchily.

"Look," Sam reasoned.

"I know she stole the Colt, and I want to find her as bad as you do, but in the meantime, we have this."

Sam pulled out a few papers.

"All right, so this professor..."

The headline on the newspaper read : 'MISSING-DEXTER HASSELBACK LAST SEEN IN BROWARD, FLORIDA.'

"Dexter Hasselback was passing through town last week when he vanished," I supplied dully.

"Last known location?"

Sam picked up a flyer.

"His daughter says he was on his way to visit the Broward County Mystery Spot."

Dean snatched the flyer, peering at it skeptically.

The front had a large question mark and the words 'Broward County Mystery Spot.'

"'Where the laws of physics have no meaning.'"

Dean's voice dripped with sarcasm.

Doris arrived with a tray of two coffees and my juice.

"Two coffees, black, and orange juice for-"

Doris gasped as the orange juice fell off the tray and smashed into pieces on the floor.

"Whoops! Sorry. Cleanup!"

~Supernatural~

We moved forward warily into the Mystery Spot.

The hallway was neon green with a black double spiral painted on the walls and door.

Sam swept the area with his flashlight, staring at the silent EMF reader.

Dean glanced at the table, lamp and ashtray attached upside down to the ceiling.

"Wow. Uncanny."

Sam looked around obstinately.

"Find anything?" I asked.

Sam held up the unresponsive meter.

"No."

Dean cocked an eyebrow.

"You have any idea what you're looking for?"

"Uh," Sam nodded unconvincingly. "Yeah."

Dean raised an eyebrow.

"No."

I shook my head tiredly.

This was getting nowhere.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

The owner banged into the room, with the gun aimed at us.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dean spread out his hands. "We can explain."

The man pointed the gun at Sam.

"You robbing me?"

"Look, nobody's robbing you," I said quietly. "Calm down."

Dean shifted, and the man pointed the gun back at him.

"Don't move!"

"Just putting the gun down."

The owner fired.

Dean fell to the ground.

"Dean!" We both shrieked,

We rushed to him, and I lifted Dean's head up as he struggled to breathe.

"Call 911," Sam looked back at the man.

"I-I didn't mean to-"

"Now!" I yelled.

"Hey, hey, oh, no, no," Sam shook Dean desperately.

I cradled his head in my arms.

"Dean, no. No, no, no. Not like this."

Dean went still.

~Supernatural~

_"Heat of the moment..."_

Sam jolted awake, breathing hard.

_"Telling you what your heart is..."_

"Rise and shine, Sammy!"

I blinked confusedly.

I could've sworn I remembered that...

That what?

It was gone the minute I searched for what I was so sure I remembered.

Sam was anxious and jittery the whole time, finally losing it at the diner.

"Don't you remember all of this?" Sam said. "Like it's happened before?"

We shook our heads blankly, walking out onto the pavement.

"Okay, look, yesterday was Tuesday, right?" Sam insisted.

"But today is Tuesday too."

Dean narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah. No. Good. You're totally balanced."

"So both of you don't believe me?"

I bit my lip reluctantly.

The feeling of deja vu was almost overpowering.

Dean stepped out on the street, just as a car moved towards him.

"No!" We screamed together.

"Dean!"

We picked him up, turning him over.

Blood coated his face, and Dean wasn't moving.

~Supernatural~

_"Heat of the moment..."_

It kept happening.

Again, and again, and again.

Sam and I were slowly going crazy.

We'd watched Dean die at least three times.

And every single day, Dean didn't believe us.

"You die today, Dean," Sam said through gritted teeth.

"And I can't watch it again."

"Guys, just calm down," Dean looked at us dubiously.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" I banged my plate down.

"I've watched you die, Dean, again and again and again, and I can't. I won't do it again!"

...

Walking back from the Mystery Spot, Dean was flattened by a falling desk.

_"Heat of the moment..." _

It continued in a vicious cycle.

Hit by a car.

Bullet to the chest.

Flattened by a desk.

Choking.

Axe to the neck.

All until Sam noticed the man who'd sat through every possible Tuesday imaginable having maple syrup, suddenly changing to strawberry.

Sam dashed after him as the man left, slamming him into the fence.

He put a wooden stake against his neck.

"Hey!" The man squawked.

"I know who you are," Sam's jaw tightened. "Or should I say, what."

"Oh my god," The man whimpered. "Please don't kill me."

"Uh, Sam..."

We ignored Dean.

"There's only one creature powerful enough to do what you're doing. I've killed one of your kind before. You're a trickster."

"Actually," The man's face morphed into one we recognized.

"Bucko, you didn't."

"You son of a bitch," Sam spat. "Why are you doing this?"

"It's fun," The trickster shrugged. "And this joke's on you two chuckleheads. You can't save your brother. Not now, not later."

His eyes shifted to me.

"And you must be wondering. You've called Cas, haven't you?"

My mouth popped open in shock.

"He won't come, sweetheart. He doesn't know you're here. You see, I'm blocking him."

I glared at him.

"He doesn't have a future with you, Odette," The trickster grinned.

"And you know why."

Sam pushed the stake in closer.

"I kill you, this all ends now."

"Oh-oh, hey, whoa!" His voice grew higher. "Okay. Look. I was just playing around. You can't take a joke, fine. You're out of it. Tomorrow, you'll wake up and it'll be Wednesday."

"You're lying," I said flatly.

"If I am, you know where to find me. Having pancakes at the diner."

We looked back at Dean, then at the trickster.

"No." Sam shook his head. "Easier just to kill you."

"Sorry, kiddo," The trickster snapped his fingers. "Can't have that."

He vanished.

~Supernatural~

_"Gotta get back in time..."_

My eyes flew open.

The song was different!

"Sam, you gonna sleep all day?" Dean asked irritably as I got to my feet.

Sam sat up in disbelief.

"No Asia."

"Yeah, I know," Dean threw on his boots. "This station sucks."

_"On the roll of the dice..." _

I stared at the clock radio.

It said Wednesday.

"It's Wednesday!" I jumped to my feet.

Dean eyed me oddly.

"Yeah, usually comes after Tuesday. Turn that thing off, will you?"

"Hey," Sam got to his feet. "What do you remember?"

"I remember both of you were pretty whacked out of it yesterday and then I remember running into the trickster. That's about it."

"All right," Sam threw on a long-sleeved shirt over his tee.

"Pack your stuff, let's get the hell out of town. Now."

...

I stuffed all my clothes into the duffle quickly, throwing Sam's stuff over my shoulder to him.

Both of us froze when we heard a gunshot.

We raced out into the parking lot, and I slumped to my knees when I saw Dean's prone form.

"No!" I swiped at the blood on his shirt.

"This wasn't supposed to happen, not today!"

"Come on," Sam crouched down, shaking Dean in vain.

"Get up, Dean, please."

Dean wasn't moving.

"We're supposed to wake up," Sam whispered.

No one did.


	18. Mystery Truths Left Unspoken

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Caroline- Aw, thank you so much! I'm blushing, I really am! I'm so happy you like it!**

**Garideth- Well, I DID give you a pretty broad hint there...**

**XKaterinaNightingaleX- Oh, I have sooo much worse planned...**

**Chapter name borrowed from Montgomery Delany.**

**On with it, shall we?**

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN- MYSTERY TRUTHS LEFT UNSPOKEN

_~Six Months Later~_

Sam twisted the Impala around, face stony and expressionless.

I glanced at him anxiously.

Things were spiraling out of control.

Dean was dead.

I sucked in a breath as I finally admitted it.

There wasn't a day that went by when I didn't remember him.

Nothing would ever be the same again, I knew it.

Because my big brother was gone.

But I still had one brother left, and I wasn't watching him go the same way.

Sam was hellbent on catching the trickster, and to be honest, he was scaring me.

It was as if Sam had vanished, and a dead person had come in his place.

Because that was how Sam was acting.

Not as if he were grieving, as if he were...dead.

It was times like these I wanted... I wanted...

_Cas_.

My muscles locked down for impact as the name lodged itself in my brain.

I'd tried calling him, over and over.

But there hadn't been any reply back.

The trickster's words rang in my head.

_"He doesn't have a future here, Odette. Not with you. He'd have come if he could."_

It sounded almost as if...almost as if he was d-

Sam's phone fortunately distracted me.

Bobby left a message, and I could tell he was worried.

_"Sam? It's Bobby. Heard about that demon thing you took care of in Death Valley. Nice job. Been about three months we talked, though. Be nice to hear from you and the kid. Give me a call. I'm here."_

I flipped his phone onto my palm.

Sam didn't even look at me.

"Sam," His head tilted slightly in my direction.

"Maybe we should go to Bobby's, it c-"

"No." Sam flatly cut me off.

"Not until the trickster's dead.

~Supernatural~

I pulled off Sam's overshirt, grimacing at the blood coating his tee.

"How could you be this reckless?" I admonished, grabbing the bullet with a pair of tweezers and pulling it out.

Sam didn't even wince.

I stitched it quietly, wondering what I was going to do.

_Cas, where are you? I need you here. Please._

"That's enough," Sam brusquely pushed my fingers away.

"We have more cases to do."

And so it continued.

Sam wasn't Sam anymore.

Just a robot in his place, bent on doing only one thing.

Killing the trickster.

That was all that mattered to him now.

Nothing else.

_"Sam?"_ Bobby left another message.

_"Bobby again. Look, I'm worried about you."_

Sam ignored the phone, mechanically cleaning his gun, facing a wall of maps and newspaper clippings featuring the trickster, arranged in painfully neat lines.  
_"Just tell me you're not sitting alone somewhere obsessing over this damn trickster,"_ Bobby continued.

_"Call me, Sam. We can find it together."_

Sam was about to move on to his knife when I caught his arm.

He looked at me blankly.

"Please," I whispered. "Please stop this. Listen to Bobby. It's killing you, Sammy, please just let it go. Dean-"

The minute I said his name, Sam ripped his arm away from mine.

"I can't, Odette," Sam said tonelessly.

"I have to kill the trickster. That's all that's left to do. Don't try and stop me. You'll only end up getting hurt."

Sam walked out the door, shutting it with a bang.

I buried my face in my hands and sobbed.

~Supernatural~

_"Sam? It's Bobby. I found him."_

Sam drove like a madman, and I curled in tighter around myself, longing for Dean's cocky smirk, for Cas's soothing presence.

Just for them both.

We found Bobby kneeling on the floor of the Mystery Spot, turning the pages of a book dead center in a chalked diagram.

He got to his feet slowly, hugging Sam and ruffling my hair.

"It's good to see you both," Bobby said gruffly.

I smiled, but Sam didn't respond.

Bobby pulled back.

"What are we doing here, Bobby?" Sam asked dully.

"Well," Bobby shrugged.

"It's the last place we're sure the trickster worked his magic."

"So?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"So you want this thing?" Bobby picked up the book.

"I found a summoning ritual to bring the trickster here."

"What do we need?" I chewed my lip nervously.

I had a bad feeling about this.

"Blood," Bobby said grimly.

"How much?" Sam asked emotionlessly, and I gaped at him.

"Ritual says near a gallon. And it's gotta be fresh, too."

I spun around to look at him.

"But you'd have to bleed a person dry."

"And it's gotta be tonight," Bobby added. "Or not for another fifty years."

"Then let's go get some," Sam turned on his heel,

I stared at him, apalled.

"You break my heart, kid," Bobby shook his head.

"What?"

"I'm not gonna let you murder an innocent man," Bobby stood to face him.

"Then why'd you bring me here?" Sam's voice was dangerously low.

"Why?" Bobby repeated incredulously. "Because it was the only way you'd see me! Because I'm trying to knock some sense into you!"

Bobby stabbed a finger at me.

"What sort of example are you providing for her? She's your goddamn sister, and you're supposed to take care of her!"

"It's none of your damn business what I do!" Sam shouted back.

Bobby froze.

"You want your brother back so bad?"

Bobby leant down and pulled a knife from his bag.

He held it up to Sam.

"Fine."

Sam eyed the knife.

"What are you talking about?"

Bobby flexed his jaw.

"Better me than a civilian."

"No!"

Sam pushed me out of the way.

"You're crazy, Bobby. I'm not killing you."

"Oh, now I'm the crazy one," Bobby scowled.

"Look, Sam, I'm old, I'm coming near the end of my trail. But you can keep fighting. Saving folk. But both of you need your brother."

"Bobby-"

He ignored Sam.

"You and Dean, you boys are the closest thing I have to family. I wanna do this."

Sam took the knife.

"Okay."

"No!"

I was horrifed, and I lunged for the knife.

Sam blocked me easily, pinning my arms to my sides.

"Good," Bobby got to his knees.

"Just make it quick."

I writhed against Sam's hold, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes.

"No, you can't do this, Sam! Don't!"

"Do it, son," Bobby urged.

"Yeah, okay, Bobby," Sam said calmly, pulling a stake out of his shirt.

"But you wanna know why?"

Sam pushed me aside and thrust the stake into Bobby's chest.

"Because you're not Bobby."

Sam twisted the stake in, and I screamed.

Blood spurted out of the wound.

Bobby slumped to the floor.

I screamed harder as Sam stared at Bobby's unmoving corpse.

"Bobby? Bobby!"

Bobby's body vanished. The stake fell over, and shot over my shoulder into the hand of the person behind us.

The trickster.

"You're right," He smirked.

"I was just screwing with you. Pretty good, though, Sam. Smart. Let me tell you, whoever said Dean was the dysfunctional one has never seen with you with a sharp object in your hands."

He whistled.

"I mean, holy full metal jacket."

Sam gritted his teeth.

"Bring him back."

"Who, Dean?" The trickster cocked an eyebrow.

"Didn't my girl send you two flowers? Dean's dead. He ain't coming back. His soul's downstairs doing the hellfire rumba as we speak."

"Just take us back to that Tuesday-er, Wednesday-when it all started," Sam begged.

"Please. We won't come after you, I swear."

"You swear," He echoed dubiously.

"Yes."

"I don't know," He shook his head. "Even if I could-"

"You can," Sam said quietly.

"True," The trickster tilted his head.

"But that don't mean I should. There's a lesson here that I've been trying to drill into you two chuckleheads' brains."

"Lesson?" My voice cracked as I spoke. "What lesson?"

"This obsession to save Dean? The way you keep sacrificing yourselves for each other? Nothing good comes out of it. Just blood and pain. It'll be the death of you, Sam."

"You only have to look at her," I jumped as he pointed at me.

"She can't let go of her own family, and they're all dead. Look where it's gotten her."

He snickered.

"And you're still pining after that angel of yours, aren't you? When are you going to get it, Odette? He's doesn't belong here. He doesn't belong with you."

"He's my brother," Sam said softly.

"Yup. And like it or not, this is what life's gonna be like without him."

"Please," A few stray tears trickled down my cheek. "Just please."

The trickster sighed.

"Okay, look. This all stopped being fun months ago. I'm over it."

"Meaning what?" Sam asked sharply.

"Meaning that's for me to know and you to find out."

The trickster snapped his fingers.

Everything went black.

~Supernatural~

_"Promise me I'll be back in time..."_

My eyes snapped open as I registered the low rumble of voices in the other room.

One very familiar irritated voice resounded in my ears, and another deeper one, almost like it was...

I threw my sheet onto the floor, racing into the front room.

I reached just in time to see Sam hugging Dean.

Dean.

Dean looked over to me, annoyed.

"About time you-"

I flung my arms around him tightly, bursting into tears.

Dean froze under me, swallowing awkwardly.

"How many Tuesdays did you have?"

"Tuesdays?" I pulled back at once.

"It's been six months, Dean." I lowered my gaze.

"We thought you were dead."

I quailed under Sam's glare as Dean's eyes sharpened.

And then I noticed the man in the corner.

"Cas!"

I was almost about to hug him when I stopped myself.

He looked uncomfortable enough already.

So instead I squeezed his hand tightly.

"I'm glad you're back, Cas."

His eyes softened slightly.

"I know. I am, too."


	19. Walking A Thin Line

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Chapter name borrowed from...nowhere, really.**

**On with it, shall we?**

CHAPTER NINETEEN- WALKING A THIN LINE

The doors banged open, and the two officers pushed us in roughly by our shackled chains.

I silently cursed Bela.

We'd followed a false trail, to be confronted by Victor Henriksen, the one man who'd been out for us from the very beginning.

Dean was handling it better than I was, grinning at the grim-faced guards.

"Why all the sourpusses?"

The woman with the dark braid down her back grabbed her rosary, shooting us a frightened look.

Her name plate said 'NANCY FITZGERALD.'

"I'll show you to the cells," One guard jerked us along, moving Dean none too gently.

"Hey!" He yelled indignantly. "Watch the merchandise!"

Nancy's scared eyes followed us as we were shepherded out of the room.

Dean's eyes lingered on her rosary.

"We're not the ones you should be scared of, Nancy."

~Supernatural~

I mmoved for the bed, and Dean for the door.

The three of us nearly lost our footing.

"Dean, come on!" Sam scowled.

"All right, all right," Dean sighed. "Sit?"

"Yeah," I agreed.

We walked around each other awkwardly, and I was planted face-first on the bed.

"Thanks," I said dryly.

Dean ignored me.

"How we gonna Houdini out of this one?"

Sam stared at the wall.

"Good question."

"You're not," Henricksen leaned against the cell bars.

Sam glanced at him, then shifted his gaze.

"You know what I'm trying to decide?"

"I don't know," Dean shrugged casually.

"What? Whether Cialis will help you with your little condition?"

"What to have for dinner tonight," Henriksen replied.

I looked up at him.

"Steak or lobster, what the hell, surf and turf."

Dean smirked.

"I got a lot to celebrate, seeing you in chains."

Dean snorted.

"You kinky son of a bitch. We don't swing that way."

Henriksen's expression didn't change.

"Now, that's funny."

"You know," Dean shifted his position.

"I wouldn't bust out the melted butter just yet. Couldn't catch us at the bank, couldn't keep us in that jail."

"You're right," Victor nodded.

"Screwed up. I underestimated you. I didn't count on you being that smart, but now I'm ready."

"Yeah, ready to lose us again?" Dean challenged.

Henriksen's eyes flashed.

"Ready like a court order to keep you in a Supermaximum prison in Nevada till trial. Ready like isolation in a soundproof, windowless room, that between you and me, is probably unconstitutional."

I realized he was serious.

"How's that for ready?"

We did not reply.

"Take a good look at your family, Dean," Henricksen snickered.

"You'll never see them again."

My head snapped up at that, and Henriksen caught the movement.

"Where's that smug smile, Dean?" He taunted. "I want to see it."

Dean shook his head in disbelief.

"You got the wrong guys."

"Oh, yeah," Victor rolled his eyes.

"You fight monsters. Sorry, Dean. Truth is, your daddy brainwashed you."

Dean gritted his teeth.

"Why don't you shut your mouth?"

I distinctly heard the sound of a helicopter approaching.

Henriksen looked at his watch and smiled.

"It's surf and turf time."

He laughed.

We'd barely had time to digest that, when another man stepped into the holding area.

He smiled at us.

"I'm Deputy Director Steven Groves. This is a pleasure."

Dean stood up to look at him.

"Well, glad one of us feels that way," He muttered.

Steven took a step forward.

"I've been waiting a long time for you three to come out of the woodwork."

He flipped out his gun in one smooth move, and shot me in the shoulder.

I shrieked and fell back as my shoulder pulsed with pain.

Sam struggled to his feet to grapple with Steven.

"She's a goddamn kid!" Dean yelled, pressing my head against his shoulder.

Steven fired several more rounds, and Dean covered me quickly.

His eyes turned black, and Sam started chanting in Latin.

The demon's head whipped from side to side, and black smoke exited his mouth, disappearing into the vents.

The others heard Steven scream, and came running in, guns drawn.

"Put the gun down!"

I pressed my lips together as the babble of angry voices rose, almost keeping time with the sharp throbbing in my shoulder.

~Supernatural~

Henriksen only believed us after he'd been posessed himself.

Dean spray painted a devil's trap on the floor, and Sam deftly bandaged my shoulder.

"What do we need?" Henriksen said grimly.

"Salt," Dean answered. "Lots and lots of salt."

"Hey, where's my car?" He added.

"Out back in the impound lot," Phil the deputy replied.

I caught Dean's arm.

"You're going out there?"

Dean shook himself loose.

"Yeah. I need to get something from my trunk."

I waited anxiously as I salted the doors and windows, then froze as I stared outside.

"Sam..."

He turned around sharply.

"Look."

The entire sky was covered in black smoke.

This wasn't an attack.

This was an army.


	20. Justice In War

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Chapter name borrowed from **

**On with it, shall we?**

CHAPTER TWENTY- JUSTICE IN WAR

I sighed in relief as Dean ran in.

"They're coming! Hurry!"

I hurriedly spray painted another devil's trap on the floor while the others lined the windows with salt.

Black smoke hit a window and Nancy screamed.

We raced to the main office, and Dean tossed a gun to Sam.

The smoke hit the building, surrounding each window.

The lights flickered, and the room turned darker.

Nancy clutched the cross she wore around her neck as dust rained down from the ceiling.

The smoke seemed to disappear, and it turned quiet.

Too quiet.

"Everybody okay?" Sam checked the devil's trap.

"Define 'okay'," Henriksen said testily.

"All right," Dean held up the charms. "Everybody needs to put these on."

He passed out the protection necklaces.

"They'll keep you from being possessed."

Nancy looked up.

"What about you?"

I shifted my shirt slightly to the side, so she could see the tattoo on my shoulder.

Dean and Sam did the same.

Henriksen huffed.

"Smart. How long you had those?"

"Not long enough," Sam answered grimly.

~Supernatural~

Nancy was organizing some files when her head snapped up to look out the window.

"Hey, that's Jenna Rubner."

I turned my head in the direction she was looking.

A red-haired woman stared back at me.

"That's not Jenna anymore," Sam pulled me away from the window.

"That's where all the black demon smoke went?"

"Looks like," I answered Nancy distractedly.

I stiffened as I heard a crash in the other room.

Sam pushed me behind him as we ran ahead.

The salt line was broken, and a woman had been caught in the devil's trap.

Henriksen cocked his rifle.

"How do we kill her?"

"We don't," Sam lowered his gun.

"She's a demon."

"She's here to help us," Sam countered.

"Are you kidding?" Phil said incredulously.

Ruby stood near the window, breathing heavily.

Dean sighed in exasperation.

"Are you gonna let me out?"

Sam scratched the devil's trap on the floor with his knife.

"And they say chivalry's dead," Ruby remarked snidely.

"Does anyone have a breath mint? Some guts splattered in my mouth while I was killing my way in here."

She walked past us into the main office.

"How many are out there?" Dean followed her movements.

"Thirty at least," Ruby straddled a chair. "That's so far."

"Oh, good," Dean swore under his breath.

" Hit men all gunning for us. Who sent them?"

Ruby looked at Sam, who was standing in the doorway.

"You didn't tell them?"

We looked at Sam, confused.

"Ooh," Ruby whistled. "I'm surprised."

"Tell us what?" Dean demanded.

"There's a big new up and comer," Ruby shifted her gaze.

"Real Pied Piper."

"Who is he?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Not he," Ruby shook her head. "Her. Her name is Lilith."

"Lilith?" Dean echoed.

"And she really, really wants Sam's intestines on a stick. 'Cause she sees him as competition."

I whirled around to look at Sam.

"You knew about this?"

Sam didn't answer.

Dean glared at him.

"Well, gee, Sam. Is there anything else I should know?"

"How about the two of you talk about this later?" Ruby suggested.

"We'll need the Colt."

We avoided her gaze.

Ruby's voice was close to a hiss.

"Where's the Colt?"

"It got stolen," Sam admitted grudgingly.

"I'm sorry," Ruby stood up.

"I must have blood in my ear. I thought I just heard you say that you were stupid enough to let the Colt get grabbed out of your thick, clumsy, idiotic hands."

"Ruby..."

"Shut up," Ruby raised a hand.

"Fine. Since I don't see any other option. There's one way I know how to get you out of here."

"What's that?"

"I know a spell," Ruby glowered at us.

"It'll vaporize every demon in a one-mile radius, myself included. So you let the Colt out of your sight, and now I have to die. So next time, be more careful. How's that for a dying wish?"

"Okay," Dean said cautiously. "What do we need to do?"

"Aww," Ruby glanced away from him. "You can't do anything. This spell is very specific. It calls for a person of virtue."

Dean nodded importantly.

"I got virtue."

Ruby chuckled.

"Nice try. You're not a virgin."

Dean snorted derisively.

"Nobody's a virgin."

"Um, Dean..." I coughed awkwardly.

Dean froze as he stared at me.

"Uh..." Dean's face reddened. "I-"

I studiously ignored him.

"So, this spell," I looked over to Ruby. "What can I do?"

Her eyes flashed.

"You can hold still while I cut your heart out."

There was a minute of stunned silence.

"What? Are you _crazy?" _Dean exploded_._

"I'm offering a solution," Ruby replied calmly.

Dean wrapped an arm around my shoulder so tightly, it hurt.

"You're offering to kill our sister."

He let go of me.

"We let them all in, and we fight. We sacrifice someone, we're no better than they are."

"Sam," Ruby's eyes shifted to his. "You know I'm right."

Sam stared at her for a long moment.

"Sorry, Ruby," He said slowly. "But I won't let you kill her."

Dean's face relaxed.

"Come on," Dean clapped a hand on Sam's shoulder.

"Let's get the supplies."

Ruby cursed as they left the room.

I waited until they were out of earshot.

"Do it."

"What?"

My hand trembled as I brought out the bowie knife Dean had given me so long ago.

It seemed like a different lifetime.

I'd have to let it go.

I loved them too much to watch them die.

"I said do it. It's the only way."

By the time they came back, it would be too late.

Ruby eyed me appraisingly as she took the knife.

"You know, you're not half-bad for a kid."

I closed my eyes as the metal point pressed against my skin.

The scream that followed, however, wasn't mine.

It was Ruby's.

Two very familiar hands curled around my wrists, pulling me away.

Cas' voice was deadly calm.

"Try and touch her again, and I will rip you limb from limb."

Ruby backed away, choking.

Cas let go of me, and I swallowed nervously as I glanced at his face.

He wasn't angry.

Cas was furious.

"Did it ever occur to you," He said icily. "To ask for my help?"

My reply was cut short as Dean and Sam raced back inside.

"Cas!" Dean looked relieved. "'Bout time."

Ruby got to her feet shakily.

"I'm outta here."

She hobbled away.

~Supernatural~

We weren't going to win.

Even as we fought, I knew it anyway.

Unless...

I wheeled around to the audio room,

If I could get this to work...

I flipped the loudspeaker on.

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii..."

It was working.

I could hear the demons howling.

"Omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica, ergo, draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica, adjuramus te, cessa deciperes humanas creaturas..."

Finally, the screaming stopped.

But I let my guard down too soon.

One demon clawed it's way into my room, and before I could do anything, dragged a knife across my stomach.

~Supernatural~

"Idiot," Dean growled, carrying me across the room and dumping me on the bed.

Sam pursed his lips as he bandaged my wound.

I sucked in a breath as he dabbed at it, pressing my lips together.

"Leave that," Cas' rough voice startled me as he pushed Sam's hand aside.

The pain intensified for a second, then went away altogether.

Cas stood up.

"Turn on the news."

I grabbed the remote.

I listened to the reporter with growing dread.

_"The community is still reeling from the tragedy that happened just a few hours ago. Authorities believe a gas main ruptured..."_

Dean sat down next to me.

_"Causing the massive explosion that ripped apart the police station and claimed the lives of everyone inside. Among the deceased were at least six police officials..."_

Cas looked at us grimly.

"None of this would have happened if you'd just asked for my help earlier."

My apology was cut off as Cas tossed us three hex bags.

"What's in these?"

"Something that'll protect you," Cas' eyes tightened.

"It'll keep Lilith off your trail... for the time being, at least."

He looked at us impassively.

"Understand this. I'm not invincible. Lilith is much stronger than I am. I'll help as much as I can, but..."

He wasn't sure if he could stop her.

And if an angel couldn't defeat her, what hope did we have?


	21. Shadow Of The Day

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Yeah, I wanted to switch Long-Distance Call with this. Just a break, you know?**

**Chapter name borrowed from Linkin Park.**

**On with it, shall we?**

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE- SHADOW OF THE DAY

We were hunting a kelpie.

At least, according to Cas.

An involuntary flush crept into my cheeks as I caught his gaze.

I lowered my head at once.

I didn't understand.

No, that wasn't the word.

Maybe I _did _understand, but just didn't want to admit it.

I'd been given warning enough.

I screwed my eyes shut as the image of Dream Cas forced it's way into my mind, cold and uncaring.

Much like Cas was in those first few months after I'd met him.

And then the place in the woods... with Jared and Mom and Sam...

Why had Cas been there too?

Unbidden, the memory of me landing on top of Cas after Jeremy had pushed me off the building slipped into my mind.

My face turned redder, and I vaulted off the chair, escaping into the bathroom.

My clothes were gritty and streaked with dirt from searching for the kelpie, and I decided to shower.

I closed my eyes as the hot water ran down my back, refusing to acknowledge what it all meant.

But I went ahead and did it anyway.

I hadn't felt this way since...since Jared.

The name instantly caused a spike of pain through my chest, and I stuffed my fist in my mouth to keep from crying out.

This was wrong.

Hadn't I learnt by now that the people close to me always ended up getting hurt?

Perhaps the term was too mild.

The people close to me ended up _dead_.

Dean would never let me hear the end of it if he knew what I was thinking.

Dean.

My thoughts took a new turn as I dressed in shorts and a tee.

Time was running out.

He had maybe a month before his deal was due.

And we'd found nothing, even with Cas' help, that could get him out of it.

Absolute, unadulterated fear swamped through me as I registered what it meant.

What was I going to do without my big brother?

Snarky, philandering, annoying Dean who'd somehow always come through for me, saved my life over and over until I'd lost count.

Dean, who woudn't be my big brother for much longer if we didn't save him.

If we couldn't save him.

And what would happen to Sam?

A different sort of worry washed over me as I thought about my second big brother.

I'd seen him at the Mystery Spot, I knew what was going to happen to him.

I couldn't let him go that way.

But who was going to take care of me?

I curled into a ball on my bed, and then I couldn't stop the tears any longer.

I'd finally found a family, less than perfect though it was, and now I was about to lose it again.

Just like always.

"Odette?"

I cursed silently as Cas looked at me searchingly, hurriedly swiping away my tears.

Cas wasn't fooled as he walked around to sit next to me.

"What's troubling you?"

I let out a bitter half-laugh, half-sob.

"What's troubling me?" I repeated.

"Everything, Cas. Everything."

And then I really started crying, pressing my head against his knee and shaking.

Cas hesitated for a long minute, then gently placed a hand on my shoulder.

I couldn't hold it in any longer.

"What are we gonna do, Cas? What are we gonna do?"

I shook harder, pausing only when Cas slipped a finger under my chin, pulling my head up.

At the time, I didn't understand why his eyes tightened, why he seemed so cold and remote.

Later, I would.

"I don't know, Odette."

~Supernatural~

"We've cornered the kelpie," Dean threw himself on the bed, seeming near the edge of sleep.

"Should be able to gank it tomorrow."

I sat next to him, burying my face in his shoulder.

Dean, for once, didn't push me off, only rolling to his side.

"What's gotten into you, Bambi?" He mumbled sleepily.

I pressed my lips together as I wrapped an arm around his back, listening to his muffled snores.

The tears soaked his shirt.


	22. Forgive Us Our Trespasses

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Cas PoV, yes, I know. **

**So sue me. (Uh, don't take that literally, please.)**

**On with it, shall we?**

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO- FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES

I glanced at Odette's sleeping face, at least, what little I could see of it, buried in Dean's chest as it was.

She looked peaceful, innocent, even, just like any other sixteen year old girl would look.

Just like any other girl should look.

Sam smiled sadly, ruffling Odette's hair as he opened another book.

"Hey, Cas?"

I shifted my gaze to Sam's.

"Yes?"

He twisted around to face me.

"Odette's probably asked you this before, but... can you save Dean?"

I lowered my head for a minute, hating the pang of pity that flashed through me.

I didn't want to give him the answer I knew I had to.

"No, Sam."

He nodded jerkily.

"Right."

I watched in silence, listening to the dull _flick-flick _of pages flipping over until Sam nodded off, head bent over the weathered book.

I closed it gently, pausing to look at the three of them.

_You're scared,_ Jimmy whispered.

There was no point denying it.

He knew what I was thinking.

I _was_ scared.

Scared of the reason why I cared so much for three humans, flawed and imperfect as they were.

Scared of why I cared for Odette.

I looked at their sleeping forms one last time.

This meant only one thing.

I had to go back to heaven.

~Supernatural~

The faint calls of _brother, brother, brother_ filled me with a sense of loss.

This used to be my home.

But even my definition of that had changed.

Home belonged somewhere else.

To someone else.

And I didn't want to think about who that someone was.

"Castiel."

I turned around slowly to face my superior.

"Zachariah. It's been quite some time."

He smiled.

"You haven't come all this way to exchange pleasantries, I'm sure. So tell me, what is it you require?"

I turned fully around to face him.

"Can you save Dean?"

Zachariah's expression did not falter.

"I cannot break the deal myself, Castiel. And you know it is Lilith who holds the contract."

I bent my head in aquiescence.

I hadn't expected anything else.

"Thank you for your time."

I was about to turn on my heel and walk away, when Zachariah stopped me.

"Castiel, wait."

I paused for a brief minute.

"Why do you wish to save a group of... humans?"

He hid it well, but I could detect the faint air of distaste in his voice at the word 'humans.'

I did not turn to look at him.

"Because they don't deserve this."

_Because I wouldn't be able to stand it if they were gone._

~Supernatural~

I wandered through Joshua's garden, eventually sitting among the delicately grown heather softly carpeting the ground.

For the second time that day, somebody called my name.

"Castiel."

Heavy footfalls walked up to where I was sitting.

"Hello, Uriel."

He sat beside me with a heavy sigh.

"How the mighty have fallen, Castiel. Never thought I'd see the day you'd run after a couple of mud monkeys."

Unlike Zachariah, Uriel had no inhibitions about showing his dislike of humans.

"They're good people, Uriel."

He shrugged, unaffected.

"So? It's never bothered you before."

He was right.

It hadn't.

I'd been assigned others before. It hadn't affected me.

So why was this time so different?

Uriel surveyed my expression for a long minute.

"You've changed."

I had.

I still didn't know for better or for worse.

Uriel glanced at me again.

"You're treading dangerous waters, Castiel. Or is it _Cas_, now?"

I replied calmly to his mocking tone.

"Don't call me that."

_That's Odette's name for me._

Uriel got to his feet, pinning me with his hard stare.

"My rank may be lower than yours, but you need to hear this, brother. You're getting too close to the human girl. Let her go. I am no seer, but I know you're going to have to make a choice very soon, Castiel."

He looked back at me one last time before walking away.

"Make sure it's the right one."


	23. Ultimatum

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**I'm making this a slightly AU-themed chapter, I kinda needed a change.**

**And yeah, I'm skipping Ghostfacers.**

**I'm sorry, I know it's choppy, and I know it's short, but I have a really bad case of writer's block, and this is the best I could do.**

**On with it, shall we?**

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE- ULTIMATUM

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at Sam.

Something wasn't right.

He'd been hunched over his laptop for over four hours, furiously typing away at something.

Dean entered the room quietly, mouth distended over his hamburger.

"Hey," He said in a muffled voice.

"Got wind of a case near town. You wanna check it out?"

Sam shut his laptop with a soft click.

"No," He said tonelessly.

I glanced over at Cas, who was gazing at Sam unusually grimly.

Dean sat down on the bed, still chewing his burger.

"Why not?"

Sam scowled.

"Dean, you have three weeks left until your deal ends, and you want to hunt?"

Dean's face closed off, carefully expressionless.

"Look," Sam held up a ragged piece of parchment.

"I found a spell that can give you a little leg room."

"What spell?"

Dean's eyes narrowed as he snatched it from him.

"It's a spell for immortality," Sam explained eagerly.

"It fits. If you never die, you never have to go to hell."

I twisted to look at Cas.

"Will it work?"

Cas eyed the scroll with distaste, seeming almost reluctant as he answered me.

"Yes," Cas admitted. "If you're prepared to do what must be done."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean asked sharply.

Cas locked gazes with all three of us sternly.

"It means, are you prepared to kill another human being to sustain your life?"

~Supernatural~

"Absolutely not!" Dean fumed, ignoring Sam completely.

"Dean, _please_," Sam pleaded. "There's no other way to save you."

"Then let me die!" Dean yelled.

"You don't mean that."

Sam turned beseeching eyes on me.

"Odette, tell him. You're with me, right?"

I froze, mouth half-open.

Was I with him?

If this was the only way to save Dean...

I stared at Dean.

I couldn't stand to lose my big brother.

After everything, how could I stand back and let Dean die?

But could I stand to... to murder?

Because that was what we would be doing.

Murder.

We'd have to kill an innocent man in cold blood, a man who'd have family, dreams, pets, his whole life...

A man who could be someone else's Dean.

I exchanged a look with Cas, who inclined his head at me, face severe.

I looked back at Sam, aching to give him a different answer.

"Sorry, Sam," I whispered. "But I can't murder someone."

Dean exhaled, and Sam's eyes tightened.

Dean's cell broke the tense silence, vibrating on the wooden table.

"Hello?"

Dean's face turned grim as he listened to the person on the other line.

"Okay. Thanks, Bobby."

He tossed the phone on the bed.

"Bobby's found Bela," Dean shrugged on his jacket. "Let's go."

Sam did not move.

"No," Sam said firmly.

Dean's voice was dangerously even.

"Sorry?"

Sam stood up.

"I said no, Dean. I'm not gonna sit by and let you die, and catching Bela won't help anything."

He glared at me as he said this.

"So go if you want to. I'll stay here, trying to bust you out of this deal."

"Like always," Sam added bitterly.

Dean froze, looking at Sam for a long moment.

"Goodbye, Sam," Dean said softly. "Look after yourself."

He walked out the door.


	24. Splitting Hairs

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**On with it, shall we?**

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR- SPLITTING HAIRS

Bobby would probably murder me if he knew what I was thinking, but Rufus Turner reminded me a lot of him.

"Bottoms up," Dean clinked his glass with Rufus', and I suppressed a sigh.

The bottle was three quarters empty already.

"You know," Rufus said thoughtfully.

"I don't even bother drinking unless it's this stuff. Nectar of the Gods, I'm telling you."

"Hey, it's a nice change," Dean shrugged.

"Most of my whiskey's from a plastic jug."

They both laughed, and I shifted in my seat impatiently.

"So, Bela was here because..." I pushed unsubtly.

"She wanted to buy a couple of things, which is gonna take me some time to round up."

"Where is she now?" Dean asked.

Rufus watched Dean closely.

"Can I ask you something?"

Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Sure."

"You got three weeks left. Why are you wasting your time chasing after that skinny, stuck-up English girl?"

Dean narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"How do you know about that?"

Rufus leaned forward.

"Because I know things. I know a lot of things about a lot of people."

Dean crossed his arms.

"Is that so?"

"I know ain't no peashooter gonna save you," Rufus retorted.

I clutched the armrests of my chair.

"What makes you so sure?"

"'Cause that's the job, kid," Rufus sighed.

"Even if you manage to scrape out of this one, there's just gonna be something else down the road. Folks like us...there ain't no happy ending. We all got it coming."

Dean glanced at Rufus wryly.

"Well, ain't you a bucket of sunshine?"

"I'm what you've got to look forward to if you survive," Rufus smirked and raised his glass again.

"But you won't."

~Supernatural~

Rufus was drunk.

"So, Bela..."

"Hotel Canaan," Rufus slurred. "Room thirty-nine. But watch your back."

Dean clenched his jaw.

"I think I can handle Bela."

"Oh, don't be so sure about that. There are things that you don't know about her."

"Oh, and you do?" Dean snorted.

"Right. Because you know things."

"Yep," Rufus agreed smugly.

"And let me guess...you lift her fingerprint?"

"Yep."

"And that got you jack."

"Yep," Rufus said easily. "She burnt them off. Probably years ago."

"Yeah, so you're right where we are," Dean pointed out testily.

"Nope."

We eyed him oddly.

"You do her ear?"

"Sorry?"

"You do her ear?" Rufus repeated.

"Hey, man, I'll try anything once, but I don't know. That sounds uncomfortable."

I rolled my eyes, exasperated.

"Ears are as unique to humans as fingerprints."

"No kidding," Dean said, straight-faced.

"Of course, that don't fly in the courts over here, but in England, they're all over it. A friend of a friend...of a friend faxed me ten pages of confidential files within a day. All I had to send him was one clean shot off the security camera."

"Right," Dean said slowly. "One clean shot of her ear."

Rufus handed us a folder.

"The so-called Bela Talbot."

~Supernatural~

"Don't move," Dean snarled, snatching Bela's gun away from her.

"Where is it?" I demanded.

"Halfway across the world by now," Bela responded sleekly.

"I can call the buyer. Do you speak Farsi?"

Dean pushed her against the wall, pointing his gun at her.

Bela looked at him calmly.

"Are you gonna kill me?"

"Oh, yeah."

Bela shook her head confidently.

"You're not the cold-blooded type."

"You mean like you?" Dean retorted.

"That's true. See, I couldn't imagine killing my parents."

Bela's eyes widened.

"I don't know what you're talking..."

"Yes, you do," Dean interrupted.

"You were, what, fourteen? Folks died in some shady car accident. Police suspected a slashed brake line, but it was all too crispy to tell. Cut to little Bela...oh, I'm sorry, Abby, inheriting millions."

"How did you even..."

"Doesn't matter," Dean said tersely. "Where's the Colt?"

By now, Bela had recovered from her shock.

"They were lovely people. And I killed them. And I got rich. I can't be bothered to give a damn. Just like I don't care what happens to you."

Dean shoved her roughly against the door, and I stared at her in disgust.

The strand of woven herbs fell from the ledge above the door.

"You make me sick."

"Likewise."

Dean stared at her for a long moment, then lowered the gun.

"You're not worth it."

He pulled me along with him, dragging Bela aside.

Dean gave one last fleeting look at the herb hung over the door.

~Supernatural~

"Are you sure?" Sam sat on the bed, jiggling his foot.

"I know what I saw," Dean answered.

I looked at the clock.

Two minutes to midnight.

Dean picked up his cell phone, punching in the digits.

"Hiya, Bela," Dean said cheerily.

"Here's a fun fact you may not know. I felt your hand in my pocket when you swiped that motel receipt."

"You don't understand," Bela's voice crackled on the other line.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I understand perfectly," Dean replied.

"See, I noticed something interesting in your hotel room. Something tucked above the door. An herb. Devil's shoestring? There's only one use for that. Holding hellhounds at bay. So you know what I did? I went back and took another look at your folk's obit. They died ten years ago today. You didn't kill them, a demon did your dirty work. You made a deal, didn't you, Bela? And it's come due."

"Is that why you stole the Colt?" He continued.

"Try to wiggle out of your deal, our gun for your soul?"

"Yes," Bela whispered.

"But stealing the Colt wasn't quite enough, I'm guessing," Dean said lightly.

"They changed the deal," Bela said hoarsely.

"They wanted me to kill Sam."

"Wow," Dean remarked sarcastically.

"Demons, untrustworthy. Shocker. That's kind of a tight deadline too, what time is it? Well, look at that, almost midnight."

Bela sounded like she was crying.

"Dean, listen, I need help."

"Sweetheart, we are weeks past help," Dean said grimly.

"I know I don't deserve it."

"You know what, you're right, you don't," Dean clenched his fists.

"But you know what the bitch of the bunch is? If you would have just come to us sooner and asked for help we probably could have taken the Colt and saved you."

"I know, and saved yourself," Bela's voice was a bit stronger.

"I know about your deal, Dean."

"And who told you that?"

"The demon that holds it," Bela answered.

"She holds mine too. She said she holds every deal."

"She?" Dean repeated.

"Her name's Lilith."

The three of us froze.

"Lilith? Why should I believe you?"

"Because just maybe you can kill the bitch," Bela retorted, sounding for a minute just like her old self."

Dean paused for an instant.

"I'll see you in hell, Bela."

The clock struck twelve.

Before Dean cut the line, I could hear the hellhounds howl.


	25. Dead Or Alive

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**So this is it! **

**No Rest For The Wicked!**

**(And no, this isn't the last chapter. Neither is the next one.)**

**Chapter name borrowed from Bon Jovi, of course.**

**Lyrics borrowed from Sam Cooke.**

**On with it, shall we?**

_It's been too hard living, but I'm afraid to die._

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE- DEAD OR ALIVE

Thirty hours.

Thirty hours until I landed up doing the hellfire rumba in good ol' damnation eternal.

Funny.

Wonder why I never got the brochure.

Cas had, of course, figured out the Lilith's location, and he looked grimmer than ever.

Which was saying a lot, 'cause the guy almost always looked like somebody'd force-fed him lemon juice, or something.

Odette looked at the map.

"New Harmony, Indiana."

"Alright."

Sam pushed his chair back.

"Let's go."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I got to my feet. "Let's all shut up there, Tex."

Cas eyed me oddly.

(When was that new?)

"What's the problem?"

"What's the problem?" I repeated incredulously.

"Come on, where do I begin? We have no way to gank Lilith, and that's assuming we can even get to her. I mean, even you can't kill her, Angel Boy. What makes you think we can?"

Cas stiffened, but I didn't let him speak.

"And isn't this the same Lilith that wants your giant head on a pike, Sam? Should I continue?"

Bambi's eyes tightened.

"So what are we supposed to do, Dean?"

I sighed, looking at their tense faces.

"Just 'cause I gotta die doesn't mean you have to, okay? Either we go in smart, or we don't go in at all."

"Okay, fine," Sam glared at me. "If that's the case, I have the answer."

I raised an eyebrow.

"You do?"

Sam crossed his arms.

"Yeah. A surefire way to confirm it's Lilith and a way to get us a bona fide demon-killing ginsu."

I realized what he was planning to do with a curse.

"Damn it, Sam, no."

I turned my back on him, walking forward a few steps.

I could feel Sam's scowl.

"We're so past arguing. Dean, I am summoning Ruby."

That did it.

"The hell you are! We have enough problems as it is!"

"Exactly," Sam said pointedly.

"And we've got no time, and no choice either."

I gritted my teeth together.

"Come on, man, she is the Miss Universe of lying skanks, okay? She told you that she could save me, huh-lie. She seems to know everything about Lilith but forgot to mention, oh, right, Lilith owns my soul!"

Sam glowered at me.

"Okay, fine, she's a liar. She's still got that knife."

"Dean," Cas said quietly.

"For all we know, she works for Lilith," I pointed out.

Odette caught my arm.

"Then give us another option, Dean. Tell me what else."

I couldn't look her in the eyes.

"They're right," Cas offered unexpectedly.

I gaped at him.

He'd been acting weird all week, and that was saying a lot for the Holy Tax Accountant.

I mean, he hated Ruby's guts almost as much as I did.

And he'd promised me he'd take care of Sam and Odette!

"Damn it! NO!"

They looked up at me, surprised.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, breathing out heavily.

"Just no. We are not gonna make the same mistakes all over again."

I set my jaw.

"You guys wanna save me, find something else."

Cas stood up, opening the door roughly.

Bambi ran up to him.

"Where are you going, Cas?"

Cas stared at me searchingly.

"To find something else."

He disappeared.

~Supernatural~

I bided my time, listening to Ruby speak quietly, clapping a hand over Bambi's mouth.

"You don't like being different. You hate the way Dean looks at you sometimes. Like you're some kind of sideshow freak. But suck it up, because we've got a lot of ground to cover, and we've gotta do it fast."

Sam clenched his jaw, and I swore under my breath.

Manipulative little bitch.

Odette moved forward, but I stopped her as Ruby continued.

"Look. Call me a bitch, hate me all you want, but I've never lied to you, Sam. Not ever. And I'm telling you. You...can save your brother, and I can show you how."

I'd had about enough.

"So that's you, huh? Our slutty little Yoda."

"Dean."

She turned around, not looking too happy.

"Charming as ever."

I walked ahead, and Bambi stared at Ruby doubtfully.

"Aw, I knew you'd show up. Because I knew Sam wouldn't listen."

Sam looked up at me, but shifted his gaze quickly.

"But you're not gonna teach him anything, you understand me?"

I glared at her.

"Over my dead body."

"Oh," Ruby sneered. "Well, you're right about that."

"What you are gonna do," I said slowly.

"Is give me that knife. And then you can just crawl back into whatever slop you came from and never bother us again. Are we clear?"

"Your brother," Ruby hissed. "Is carrying a bomb inside of him and we'd be stupid not to use it."

"And her."

Odette squeaked as Ruby pulled on her arm.

"She has the juice to kill Lilith too. They both do."

Sam opened his mouth.

"Dean, look, just hold on for one-"

"Don't!" I snapped. "Come on, man, what, are you blind? Can't you see this is a trick?"

"That's not true," Ruby retorted.

I ignored her.

"She wants you to give into this whole demonic pyschic whatever, okay? I mean hell, she probably wants you to become her little anti-Christ superstar."

Ruby scowled at me.

"I want Lilith dead. That's all."

"Why?" I demanded.

"I've told you why!" She yelled back.

"Oh, right, yeah," I smiled mockingly.

"Because you were human once and you liked kittens and long walks on the beach."

Ruby and I were literally nose-to-nose.

"You know, I am so sick of proving myself to you," She growled.

"You wanna save yourself, this is how, you dumb spineless dick!"

I punched her in the face.

Odette tried to pull me back as we really started fighting, but I pushed her away.

I had what I wanted.

She headbutted me viciously, and I rolled onto the floor, shooting her a grin.

"The hell are you grinning at?" Ruby snarled.

I pulled up her knife.

"Missing something?"

Ruby's eyes narrowed to slits.

"I'll kill you, you son of a bitch."

She rushed toward me, then abruptly came to a stop as she landed under the devil's trap.

"Like I said," I put down the knife.

"I knew you'd come."

~Supernatural~

Sam sighed as he cleaned his gun.

"We're just gonna let Ruby rot down there?"

I nodded.

"That's the idea."

"Dean..." Sam fidgeted uncomfortably.

"What if..uh...what if Ruby's right? What if I can take out Lilith?"

I glowered at him.

Odette turned to me.

"You heard Ruby. We both could. Maybe..."

That did it.

I banged my hands down on the table.

"All right, that's it, guys, you know this as well as I do. You, me, Bambi, we're all each other's weak spots. The demons know it too. And we've got to stop spreading it for them, stop being martyrs."

I held up Ruby's knife.

"We take this knife, and we go after Lilith our way. The way Dad taught us to. And if we go down...then we go down swinging."

Truthfully, I was terrified.

I was going to hell in less than a day, and I was freaked.

But I had my family to look after, and if I had to go down, I'd go down protecting them.

Even if it was the last thing I ever did.


	26. For Whom The Bells Toll

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**And it's up!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Chapter title borrowed from the Bee Gees.**

**No, this isn't the last chapter.**

**On with it, shall we? **

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX- FOR WHOM THE BELLS TOLL

Time was running out.

Dean's deal would be over in a matter of hours, if we didn't do something.

My throat went dry as I looked at him.

What would I do without my big brother?

I didn't have the words to tell him what he meant to me.

Cas, sensing my distress, looked over at me, but for once, I ignored him.

Sam, though, seemed to know what to say.

"Hey, Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"You know if this doesn't...uh...this doesn't go the way we want, I want you to know-"

Dean interrupted quickly.

"No. No-no-no-no. You're not gonna bust out the misty goodbye speech, okay? And if this is my last day on earth, I do not want it to be socially awkward."

Sam looked down, subsiding fast.

Cas' eyes narrowed in disapproval.

Dean turned back to the road.

"You know what I do want?"

He reached down to the radio, switching the dial.

I raised an eyebrow as Bon Jovi's 'Wanted Dead Or Alive' blasted out of the speakers.

Sam seemed puzzled too, and Cas' expression was almost pained.

"Bon Jovi?" Sam said doubtfully.

"Hey, Bon Jovi rocks," Dean insisted.

"On occasion," He added.

He looked back at us, then began singing along, ignoring his tunelessness.

_"And I walk these streets, a loaded six-string on my back,_

_I play for keeps,"_

He nudged Sam pointedly.

_"'Cause I might not make it back. I've been everywhere."_

"Come on. You too, Bambi," He swung his head over to me.

_"Oh, yeah,"_ Sam started grudgingly, fighting back a smile.

_"And I'm standing tall,"_ I began, lips twitching at Cas' face as I sang.

Sam laughed, and the three of us sang together, our voices joining in tandem.

_"I've seen a million faces, and I rocked 'em all,_

_'Cause I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride,_

_I'm wanted."_

Sam was enjoying himself.

_"Wanted!"_

We started again together.

_"Dead or alive..."_

My voice dwindled as I realized who the lyrics fit with.

Cas placed a hand on my shoulder as I fell silent.

Dean's smile faded.

The radio continued on.

_"Dead or alive..."_

~Supernatural~

I glanced at Dean uneasily as we spread branches over the police car, hiding it from view.

He'd seen the demon even before Cas had.

Bobby eyed him contemplatively.

"What?" Dean snapped.

"You've got over five hours to go. You're piercing the veil, Dean. You're glimpsing the B-side."

Dean made a face.

"Little less new age-y, please."

Bobby glared at him.

"You're almost hell's bitch. So, you can see hell's other bitches."

Dean reared back, surprised.

"Thank you."

"It's not necessarily a bad thing," Cas stepped around me.

"Lilith will have demons all over town. She knows we're here, we're dead before we start."

"Awesome," Dean said sarcastically, walking ahead.

We followed him.

~Supernatural~

"That's her," Cas pointed at the little girl sitting inside the house.

"That's Lilith. I could sense her a mile away."

"Alright then, let's go," Sam put down the binoculars. "We're wasting time."

"Wait."

Cas strode forward.

"There are demons surrounding us."

He disappeared for a few minutes, and I waited anxiously, jumping as he promptly returned.

Cas' hands were stained red.

"So, now what?" Dean demanded.

"We go inside and give a columbian necktie to a ten year old girl? Come on!"

I laid a hand on his arm.

"Look, Dean, I know it's awful."

Dean rolled his eyes.

"You think?"

"This isn't just about saving you, Dean," Sam said quietly.

"This is about saving everybody."

Bobby cocked his gun.

"She's gotta be stopped, son."

That's when we noticed the demon staring at us.

~Supernatural~

Dean was just about to dump the body when Ruby suddenly appeared, shoving him into the fence.

"I'd like my knife back, please. Or your neck snaps like a chickenbone."

"You're not going to get it," Cas appeared just as easily as Ruby did, wrapping his hands around her throat.

"Let him go."

Ruby swore, releasing Dean with a scowl.

"It's mine," She growled.

"You'll get it back after this is over," Sam came up behind Cas.

"It's already over," Ruby hissed.

"I gave you a way to save Dean, and you shot me down. Now it's too late. I'm not gonna let you die too."

Sam's eyes tightened.

"Try stopping me, and I'll kill you, bitch."

Dean was looking in the other direction.

"Guys, have your little catfight later. There are more demons."

I glanced at the house across to us.

Several pairs of cold black eyes stared back at me.

So much for the element of surprise.

~Supernatural~

Cas pushed me behind him as we stared at the sleeping girl.

The woman on the bed shook with fear, but her eyes were steady as she looked at the knife in Sam's hand.

"Do it," She said.

Sam hesitated, looking at the sleeping face of the girl.

I choked back my nausea.

Could we stand to kill a little girl?

I spared a look at Dean, and I had my answer.

Yes.

I could.

If it would save Dean.

The knife wavered in Sam's hand.

He waited too long.

The girl woke up with a scream, and Cas pulled Sam away.

"Stop! It's not her!"

...

"Well, I hate to be a 'told you so'," Ruby sniped.

"Shut up," Cas snapped back, losing his patience for the very first time, at least in my presence.

"Alright Ruby," Sam looked at her expectantly. "Where is she?"

Ruby glared at us.

"I don't know."

We entered the livingroom, and I looked out the window.

I hoped the holy water in the sprinklers would work.

Sam seemed to voice my thoughts.

"Could she get past the sprinklers?"

Cas' face was tense.

"Easily. It's nothing for a demon of her caliber."

"Okay, you win."

Sam's shoulders slumped, and he exchanged a look with me.

I understood at once, and suddenly, I was on his side.

There was nothing we wouldn't do to save our brother.

I knew that now.

"Show us," I said unwillingly.

Ruby looked at us questioningly.

"What do you mean?"

"To save Dean," I hissed. "Tell us what to do."

"What do you need me to do?" Sam didn't notice Dean behind him until he grabbed us by the shoulders.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Shut up, Dean," I said curtly.

"Ruby!"

"Absolutely not," Cas' fingers wrapped around my wrists, pinioning me completely.

Ruby didn't fight him.

"You had your chance. You can't just flip a switch. We needed time."

And now we didn't have it.

"There's gotta be something," Sam said desperately.

"There's gotta be a way," I insisted. "Whatever it is, we'll do it."

Sam and I struggled as Dean grabbed us from behind.

"Don't!" I spat.

"I can't let you go to hell!" Sam and I screamed at the same time.

"Yes, you are!" Dean yelled back.

We looked at each other for a long moment.

Dean's eyes were bleak, but calmer.

"Yes, you are."

We stared at him, and my breath came out in harsh pants.

"I'm sorry," Dean looked away.

"This is all my fault, I know that. But what you guys are doing, it's not gonna save me. It'll only kill you."

"No!"

The tears ran down my cheek, and I ignore Cas' attempts to soothe me.

"No!"

I screamed louder, and I sobbed now, reaching out for Dean.

Dean, for once, didn't say anything, simply wrapping his arms around me tightly.

"Ssshh," He whispered as I buried my face in his shoulder.

"It's gonna be okay, Bambi."

But it wasn't.

It never would be, because I'd never see my big brother again.

Sam's cheeks were wet too, as Dean finally let go of me.

"What am I supposed to do?" He whispered, and he seemed to revert into a lost little boy all at once.

"Keep fighting," Dean said, and I bit back a sob.

"Take care of my wheels. Sam, remember what Dad taught you, okay?"

Sam nodded, holding back his tears.

I couldn't control mine as Dean gave me a hard stare.

"Take care of each other, okay? Or I'll haunt your ass, I swear."

"I will." My voice cracked.

Dean's voice was thick as he continued.

"You're what I've got left, all of you. Keep yourself safe."

Dean clapped Cas on the shoulder.

"And you keep your promise, Cas."

Cas looked at him grimly, but he said : "I will."

And it seemed all too final at that moment.

Too real.

I flung my arms around Dean tightly, barely holding myself together.

"You're the best big brother ever," I whispered softly.

The clock struck midnight.

The hellhounds started howling, and Dean looked back at us one last time.

"Remember what I taught you."

His eyes were shinier than before, and I knew that this would be the last time I would see Dean Winchester cry.

Ruby stood uncomfortably in the corner.

"I'm sorry, Dean," She said, and actually sounded halfway-sincere.

The hellhounds howled again.

~Supernatural~

The door shuddered as we lined it with goofer dust.

Cas' face was furrowed in concentration as he held the hounds off.

"Give me the knife," Ruby said quickly. "Maybe I can fight them off."

Sam looked up at her, confused.

"What?"

"Come on!" Ruby exclaimed impatiently. "That dust won't last forever."

Cas' eyes suddenly widened.

He was afraid.

And that made a cold line of fear crawl up my spine.

Cas wasn't afraid of anything, unless...unless it was..

"Wait!"

"It's not Ruby!" Cas yelled. "Drop the knife. It's not her!"

But it was too late.

She sent us flying into opposite walls, pushing Dean on top of the table.

Cas couldn't move, either.

"How long have you been in her?" He asked expressionlessly.

Ruby's entire face changed it's expression, becoming almost childlike.

This was Lilith.

I could feel it.

"Not long."

She looked down at Ruby's body.

"But I like it. It's all grown up and pretty in here."

She looked up at Dean, and her eyes turned milky white.

"And where's Ruby?" Sam demanded.

Lilith's eyes turned back to normal.

"She was a very bad girl, so I sent her far, far away."

She tilted her head with every step, and I could hear her neck crunch.

Lilith slowly walked over to Sam.

"Hello, Sam. I've wanted to meet you for a very long time."

She grabbed hold of his chin, stroking his cheek.

"Your skin is soft."

She snapped her head around to me, trailing a finger down my neck.

"And you must be Odette. I've always found you fascinating..."

"Too pure," She dug her nails in harder, drawing blood. "But fascinating."

Lilith smiled at Cas.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Castiel. I've caught myself a real, live angel. I'm gonna enjoy tearing your wings."

Cas' eyes didn't even flicker.

"Lilith," Is all he said, but it was enough.

Every syllable dripped with hatred.

"So, this is your big plan, huh?" Dean grunted.

"Drag me to hell. Kill them all. And then what? Become queen bitch?"

Lilith sneered.

"I don't have to answer to puppy chow."

She crossed the floor in one smooth movement, flinging open the door.

A predatory grin flashed over her face.

"Sic 'em, boy."

Invisible furrows scratched themselves onto the floor, and an invisible force dragged Dean down by his legs, ripping into them viciously.

Dean yelled in pain.

"No! Stop!" We shouted together.

Lilith watched as Dean struggled on the floor.

The hellhound attacked his chest, leaving long, bloody claw marks.

Dean screamed in pain.

"STOP IT!" I screamed.

Lilith just watched with a sleek, satisifed smile.

The hound slashed Dean on his back and shoulder.

"No!"

Blood gushed out of Dean's wounds.

I stared in horror.

"STOP IT!"

We screamed again.

Dean's breath now came in rattling gasps.

"NO!"

Lilith smiled widely.

"Yes."

Dean's eyes dulled.

She held out her hand, and it filled with white light.

Sudden rage rushed through me, and I screwed my eyes shut, willing it to stop.

It retracted all at once, and Lilith's eyes returned to normal.

She blinked, shocked.

I stood up, oddly numb, walking towards her.

"Back," She said, pupils dilated.

I took a deep breath, moving forward.

"I said, back!" Lilith repeated shakily.

I slowly picked up Ruby's knife.

"I don't think so."

My voice no longer sounded like my own.

I hefted the dagger, poised to strike.

Black smoke billowed out of Ruby's body, passing through the ventilator.

Lilith was gone.

I turned around, and I sunk to my knees next to Dean's motionless body, unheeding of the others around me.

My sobs were choked and jagged, and I cradled Dean's head in my arms.

"No...no...no..."

I rocked back and forth, but there was no denying it this time.

Dean was dead.


	27. Before The Worst

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**No, this isn't the last chapter, either. The next one is.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**And I apologize for being so irregular with my updating, I've been busy working on Resurgence, my new Mentalist 'fic. Plus I have exams.**

**Chapter title and lyrics borrowed from The Script.**

**On with it, shall we?**

_Before the worst, before we mend,_

_Before our hearts decide_

_It's time to love again,_

_Before too late, before too long,_

_Let's try to take it back,_

_Before it all went wrong._

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN- BEFORE THE WORST

I couldn't do it.

I just couldn't.

Things were spiraling out of my control, fast.

Dean was dead.

And I hadn't been able to do anything.

Odette had managed to get rid of Lilith.

I hadn't.

Odette.

The very center of my problem.

Why did it _matter?_

Why did it matter to me that I could hear her sobbing in the other room, that I wanted her to stop.

That I wished I could help her stop.

Why did it matter to me that Dean was dead and gone, and I'd never see his face again?

Why did it matter to me that Sam was remote and closed off?

Why?

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

But it wasn't just that.

Odette.

The name set off something in me, a flash of _hot-warm-cold_ that I couldn't explain.

But perhaps that wasn't the right word.

Perhaps I should have said it set off something in me I didn't want to explain.

But I had to.

I'd denied it long enough.

I was _feeling_, the one thing angels were incapable of doing.

That they were forbidden of doing.

And the girl was the reason why.

And I was terrified.

Terrified, and ashamed.

I bent my head down to the ground, closing my eyes.

_Forgive me, Father. I've failed you_.

I had.

I'd broken the one, cardinal rule of the angels.

_Unacceptable_, Uriel's voice hissed in my mind.

And now I was dealing with the consequences.

A brief image of Odette skittered across my mind, and I cursed at myself.

I cursed myself for my foolishness.

For my disobedience.

I could see clearly now, in hindsight, how I'd gone wrong.

How much I'd been allowing.

And now I was too far gone.

Much too far.

And suddenly, rage overcame me, and I punched the wall in frustration, in anger, in confusion.

In fear.

I had no idea what to do anymore.

Not in a thousand years had I lost control like this.

I'd never been so helpless.

So weak.

So utterly, completely vulnerable.

And Odette was the crux of it all.

I heard her crying again, and had to restrain myself from seeing her.

From comforting her.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, screwing my eyes tightly shut.

This had to stop.

I wasn't supposed to care about one single, insignificant human.

She shouldn't have mattered to me.

But she did.

Against all reason, she did.

And I couldn't make any more mistakes.

I'd have to let this go.

Almost as if in defiance of my decision, a thousand different memories of Odette assailed my mind.

Odette smiling, Odette giving me the trenchcoat, Odette dancing with me...

Odette Odette Odette.

Fury filled me at my helplessness.

I despised myself for the guilt, the loathing that grew in me at what I was about to do.

I would ruin whatever peace she had left, I knew that.

But it wouldn't stop me.

It shouldn't stop me.

I was breaking promises I'd made to two dead men.

And the one that mattered most of all.

Jimmy was wide awake now, almost panicked.

_Don't. Don't do this, Cas, I'm begging you. You'll destroy her, and yourself, too_.

I silenced him quickly.

I'd been allowing too much.

Uriel's words echoed in my head.

_"You're going to have to make a choice very soon, Castiel. Make sure it's the right one."_

I knew what I had to do.


	28. Break Apart Her Heart

**Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

**So here it is- the last chapter of The Young And The Hopeless!**

**I'd like to thank all my reviewers- I never would have finished this without you.**

**Look out for the next installment of The Odette Slessor Chronicles- it's called Lacrymosa, and it should be up in a few days.**

**Chapter title borrowed from Good Charlotte, and lyrics borrowed from The Script.**

**On with it, shall we?**

_I'm falling through the doors of the emergency room,_

_Can anybody help me with these exit wounds?_

_I don't know how much more love this heart can lose,_

_And I'm dying, dying from these exit wounds._

CHAPTER TWENTY- EIGHT- BREAK APART HER HEART

I bit on my knuckles, muffling my sobs.

Blood spurted into my mouth, but I was long past caring.

Dean was dead.

Dead.

My big brother was dead.

I spared a look at Sam, spread out on the bed, face stark and unresponsive.

Just like in the Mystery Spot.

I rocked back and forth, unable to stop my tears.

What was I going to do?

The grief hit me like a freight train, pressing like a vice against my chest.

The old ache started up again, and I punched the wall, ignoring the pulse of pain.

One chance.

One chance I'd gotten to have a family again, and I couldn't even hold on to it.

I'd failed.

Completely.

Sam's head drooped, eyes falling shut.

I was glad.

He didn't need to see me like this.

I jumped as Cas appeared in the room, eyes hard and severe.

The careful lack of emotion in his face made my stomach clench in anxiety.

"We need to talk."

~Supernatural~

I stared at the deserted clearing in the middle of the woods, weary and confused.

"What's the matter, Cas?"

My voice was hoarse, and it cracked.

He faced me, and foreboding slipped through me as I saw his blank expression.

"This needs to stop."

I looked at him uncomprehendingly.

I didn't understand.

"What do you mean, Cas?"

Whatever little emotion there was in Cas' eyes was gone now.

"We need to stop. I need to stop. This can't go on any longer, Odette."

The blood roared in my ears as I looked at him.

I didn't want to understand what he was saying.

Cas' eyes drilled into mine, and his voice was strong and steady.

"I can't stay here any longer, Odette. Not now."

It hit me in one single, agonizing moment.

Cas was leaving.

I wanted to scream, to shout, to curse him, but all that came out was a broken whisper.

"You promised me you would never leave! You promised me, Cas!"

His face did not change.

"Some promises can't be kept, Odette."

"That's bull!" I managed to yell, finally finding my voice.

"Why? Why do you have to go?"

I stared into calm, cool blue.

"I have to."

I could see clearly now, and the panic flooded me in one, nauseous instant.

"Don't. Don't do this," I begged. "You're all I've got left."

I was hideously, painfully aware of how pathetic I sounded.

But I could see the steel in his eyes.

He'd made his decision.

"Please," I whisper. "Don't. Please, Castiel."

The tears spilled over onto my cheek, leaving a cold, slick trail.

But this wasn't Cas I was talking to.

No, this was _Castiel_, unaffected by suffering, by hurt, by pain.

Unaffected by me.

Cas' eyes bored into mine, cold and indifferent, every inch the severe, stern angel he was.

He spoke slowly, deliberately, letting every word sink in.

"Odette. I don't want to stay. I don't want to be here with you. I don't care."

The hole in my chest ripped itself wide open, and the tears did not stop falling.

My voice was almost inaudible.

"Don't I matter to you, Cas?"

But I could see, staring at his face, that he didn't.

He never had.

I'd just been deluding myself.

As always.

Cas' eyes were like chips of ice, blue and cold and oh, so hard.

He looked achingly, painfully beautiful, and I knew I could never have him.

How could I blame him for not wanting me?

I was sullied, stained with the blood of the people I loved.

The people I'd killed.

Worthless.

That was what I stood for.

Pain, and blood, and death.

And misery.

"If...if that's what you want."

They were the hardest words I'd ever said in my life, but I said them nonetheless.

I didn't deserve Cas.

I had to let him go.

"I do."

I nodded dumbly.

There was nothing left to say.

Something flashed across his eyes at that moment, but it was gone so fast I was sure I'd imagined it.

Just like I'd imagined he'd cared for me.

I jerked in surprise as he crossed over to me, pressing his cool forehead to mine.

I closed my eyes at the contact.

He pulled away too soon, allowing me to take a last look at his hooded, emotionless eyes.

I committed his hard, uncaring face to memory.

"Goodbye, Odette."

Cas disappeared.

Whatever was left of my heart shattered itself to pieces.

~Supernatural~

I huddled onto the rough grass, disregarding it as it prickled against my back.

A cold, numbing ache spread through me, and I couldn't even weep.

I laid there for hours, unmindful of the sun's waning.

Everything hurt as I pulled myself up off the ground.

It was night now.

I wondered if Sam was looking for me.

A stick snapped behind me, and I whirled around, expecting Lilith.

Instead, I saw an ordinary man with a goatee.

But his eyes were black.

"Hello, sweetheart. I've waited a long time to see you."

And he stabbed me in the heart.

Everything went black.

~Supernatural~

I woke up to the sound of screaming.

My back arched, and I let out a scream of my own as nails pulled in my skin.

I was chained to a rack.

The pain made itself known, and I bit back a whimper.

"Oh, good, you're awake," A smooth voice says, and I could see the same man from before standing in front of me.

I was too frightened to speak, but I would not give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

"Hi, darling." The man brandished a scalpel.

"My name is Alistair. Welcome to my humble abode."

My eyes flashed wildly from side to side, but I could see nothing but grayness and fog.

"You would not _believe_ the red tape I had to bypass to get you here," Alistair rolled his eyes.

"Nonetheless, I convinced them, and here you are, gift-wrapped and ready to go."

Alistair's eyes gleamed.

"Before we begin, I hope you know where we are."

I writhed, struggling to get out of my bonds.

It did not work.

I realized it with a slow roll of nausea, and terror swamped me in a tidal wave.

There was no Cas to protect me this time.

I knew where we were now.

In hell.

My scream joined the thousands of others already echoing around the room.

I knew it would never stop.

**Hahaha, I know, I'm evil. Stay tuned for Lacrymosa! **


End file.
